Decisions, Revelations, and Disasters
In the Destiny Tether: Dinhabah, manacled; Adrienne and Matt in attendance.
In the War Tether, Colorado Springs: Rook and Arabis and Victoria (oh my!), with Arashiel having just pulled into the parking lot. Rashi finds Arabis waiting patiently (for Arabis) in the hallway; Rook's voice in audible from inside a room. Rashi wants some info -- did Strassen know anything, or have anything to do, with Jael's death?
Arabis, of course, does not know these things.
But inside, Rook has a speech to give to the hapless Strassen: "I will be leaving, but before I go I need to tell you of your choices. I am a Malakite, and I exist only to kill you, and those you serve. But I will not harm you, nor will I allow any harm to come to you, but you must know that I can not allow you to remain in service to Hell. So, you have two choices. You can renounce your service to Hell, and find redemption for yourself in service to Heaven. Or, you can remain here, for the rest of your life. The choice is yours." He leaves.
Quite a promise. Very creative...
Arashiel pounces the instant the door opens, but Rook bars her way. Arabis is distracted from this potentially interesting development by a raven outside the window (yes, there are windows. Who cares it's NORAD. It's a magical window.) Said raven hops and pecks at the glass, until Arabis goes over and lets it in. It says quite clearly (and with a deep breath): "She says go home and return to your work. One of the Lost must be saved, and Cruel must be punished. Revenge is the Lord's, and is mine." Hop hop, fluff and shiny eyes -- ah, a Reliever. Arabis thanks it and sends it away. She glances back, and sure 'nuff, Arashiel and Rook are still facing off. Rook will not talk to Arashiel, but he asks Arabis to find Thenaire.
Damn. She never gets to see the fun bits. Arabis complies.
Arashiel is as furious as she gets... which is to say, deadly quiet. To Rook: "Is there a reason you are not answering me?" Silence. "I see. You are clearly not worthy of your Superior's or my devotion to you." Still silence.
Then Thenaire arrives, looking mildly pained (Seneschals tend to look that way round our angels, have you noticed?). He would like an explanation for the tension he can feel the length of the hallway, but Rook refuses to answer him and calls him inside the room (Rook, you see, refuses direct requests from Superiors now, when he thinks he is in the right. This is *very* Creation of him.) Rook informs Thenaire of what he's done.
In the hallway, Arabis has to take her leave... and tells the fuming Arashiel not to kill Rook -- "He's young."
Having been informed of Rook's promises to Victoria, Thenaire now *really* wants to know about the source of the tension in the hallway. Rook says he is not aware of any. Luckily there are no Seraphim present. Rashi wants to talk to Strassen, and is very unhappy; Rook is not at all unhappy. So Rook leaves, and Arashiel is granted her audience, with Thenaire's request she not harm the Soldier.
Then Arashiel does an unexpected thing -- she apologizes to Thenaire for her comments to and about Michael when last he visited. Blink. The Elohite never ceases to be amazed at Creationer unpredictability.
The interview proceeds thus:
"What are your plans?"
Silence from Victoria. Then: "Who the Hell are you?"
"I am Eriko. My sister, or perhaps half-sister, Jael, resident of Boulder, was attacked. Do you know anything of this? Might you be able to help me find the attacker?"
"Why would I help you?"
"It was only a question. You would help me because you chose to."
"That doesn't get me out of this room, does it."
"What does?"
"Betraying my lord, which will incidentally get me killed."
"These accommodations are rather spare. I do not think you will enjoy them for long. Is that the arrangement?"
"Yes. Stay here or betray my lord, because killing me would be too much a mercy."
"Would telling me about the attack on my sister be a betrayal as well?"
"You are obviously not a Malakite."
"I prefer to think first. I guess you do not wish to answer the last question."
"I don't know anything about your sister."
"The human, Sean. You will stay away from him."
"I think locked in this room I will have to stay away from him."
"You may think of me as one of the easier ones to talk to, if you wish to speak."
"Eriko," she replies, meditatively.
Exit Arashiel.
Take a moment, and step back a little in time. Now back in Boulder, there lived a Malakite. A quiet, unobtrusive Malakite. Servitor of Dreams, works in a sleep clinic research program as a grad student. Has been in residence since August, but has kept himself out of whatever it is the PCs do to make so much Symphonic racket. We shall call him Adriel, though his vessel is Daniel Priest.
And Adriel has a new conundrum in his universe: a new patient who has the most *fascinating* dreams... nightmares, really ... on Blandine's side of things. Dreams include a walking corpse exhorting him to confess, and a ubiquitous raven, and what is distinctly an Ofanite, even distorted by the human psyche. In the dreams, he babbles on and on about how sorry he is. But his grip on reality is totally shot. Poor thing.
Now, Adriel suspects, being a clever blackwing, that an angel is behind this damage. A Gabrielite, even. (Told you he was clever.) So Adriel makes notes on this poor fellow, this Jackson White, and goes off and does his research -- old unsolved crimes, something. Finds a story wherein there *should* be a body, but isn't, even though there is blood and a very damaged and soiled comforter that appeared to have held a body. Heh. Adriel goes to the fraternity, watches a while. He decides to visit their dreams and take a peek.
Dreamwalking: no similarities in those dreams, no ravens, no Ofanim. Is a dream of Jackson, laced with nastiness, on the drift to Nightmares. On his way out of that one, Adriel bumps into a dream-bubble of a young (like, 18) girl, who dreams of a rape and a rescue. Could be Jackson who committed the rape, but it's really hard to say. But the rescuer -- ah, that's Jackson's corpse. Hmm. Adriel does what all Boulder angels do eventually -- he goes to Giles at the Destiny Tether. Giles knows everything, after all.
When he leaves the Marches, the Symphony is vibrating. He tracks it to the Painted Pot, and a police line. He takes notes, and heads up to the Tether.
And at the Tether: a bloody, manacled Elohite, and unusually quiet Lilim, and an unhappy Seneschal. Matt finally approaches what looks to be an unconscious Dinhabah and taps the manacles. Metal!
Matt, to the room at large: "Could we just cut his hands off and then just heal him?"
Blink. Giles, patiently: "That seems kind of extreme to me, Matt."
"The hands can be replaced."
Elohite eyes open. "They are on my celestial form as well. No, cutting the hands off will not work. But you have acquired what you wanted - my attention."
"I was just trying to think how to get these things off you. How do we do that? You don't know? Maybe there is some secret. Does this cause you pain?"
"No."
Matt gives up on the surly one and subsides to a chair again...but only long enough to decide to resonate his fellow Power and pick at his emotions. So he starts a conversation about Judgement, and is rewarded by a surge of violent-angry from Dinhabah, and a sense of confusion and betrayal and loss of faith. He *almost* feels like Irad.
Then, enter Adriel. Introductions ensue, and Matt resonates the new guy. Hmm. Hands him a flower. Adrienne smiles at that; Dinhabah looks disgusted and closes his eyes.
Adriel wants to know about the explosion... and Adrienne is banished, gently, by Giles, who does not think non-angels need be privy to new angel business. Introductions are made.
Arabis the Paranoid arrives on her windowsill, sees The New Guy, and ducks back. Giles, however, asks her to come on in. And Adriel (whom we already know as clever) recognizes the raven straight off.
"Had any scores to settle recently?" So, so mild, the voice.
Arabis fluffs in mild indignation. Ah, loathing at first sight.
Giles sighs. "Arabis -- this is Adriel of Dreams."
Adriel continues on, oh so mildly. "My assignment has brought me to the sleep clinic here. I work with night terrors. One of the current patients is troubled in his dreams." He pings the raven. He fails. "These dreams are not actively controlled from the sleeper's dreamscape, and oddly enough, despite the disturbing imagery and the raw terror, it does not exist on Beleth's side. This would seem to be a matter that would fall under my heading, but I don't remember hearing about it."
Pause. The pause grows more and more pregnant. The raven blinks innocently.
See the Seneschal's migraine spike. "Arabis, don't you dare play innocent around me. Help the nice angel, would you please?"
Ah, damn. Giles is making her play fair. Croak. "Bad doings, bad person."
Adriel's expression never wavers. "Corpses, ravens and an Ofanite."
OfanRaven, eloquently: "Oh."
"Mind you, if I had seen this interference from the other side, there would have been a confrontation."
That, my dears, was almost, *almost*, a threat.
Dinhabah makes a impressed noise along the lines of 'oooooooooh.' He does not sound sincere.
Adriel's attention shifts. "Perhaps you will find a key in the Marches.'
Malevolent Dinhabah opens an eye. "You are obviously not familiar with the nature of these manacles, Virtue."
Attention back to Arabis, who still looks indignant.
"It is my duty to protect the dreamers."
"It is my duty to punish the cruel."
"These things can cross, but I do not remember hearing that anything of this sort had been cleared with my Lady."
"I did not affect his dreams. I merely affected his waking life."
"What did you do?"
"He harmed without killing, and would not cease. So I harmed without killing, and made him cease."
"That body at the bottom of the cliff ---"
Arabis shifts. "There is no body. Yes, this is my vessel."
"Anything else about this fraternity?"
"They continue to do this, as far as I know. I can't punish them all. I know he is responsible for his actions. If I were to stay, I would have to continue to punish, but since I have been given an order otherwise, I will not. By the way, where is Irad?"
Giles answers this one. "He has gone looking for the Calabite that killed Jael. If we have not hear a crash, then we can assume that he has not succeeded." Giles says.
Adriel recognizes the name Irad, of course.
In the meantime, Rook has returned to the Board, and Arashiel has gone to Heaven to see Jael. She sets a reliever on watch, and descends the Tether.
Simultaneously, Arabis wants to go Irad hunting. Giles refuels her on Essence, and she flaps out the window as Arashiel descends. Matt whispers to Giles that Dinhabah needs watching. Giles only nods.
Look at all those long faces... Arashiel cannot let this pass. "Scrabble went poorly?"
Almost a smile, and Giles commences with introductions. Adriel recognizes her name, too. Something about George Lucas and dreams of light sabers.
Arashiel wants to know where he's been hiding.
Mild Adriel: "I've been here for months. It has been less easy to keep to myself recently, because of the noise."
"I hope you have not found the noise displeasing. I am certain that we are responsible."
"Some of the rumors have said as much, yes. The Marches have been getting crowded."
"I was under the impression that their boundaries were flexible."
"Kind of like ethics around here, it seems." (GM wishes her readers to note that sarcasm, by popular consensus, smells like burnt toast. This is wheat.)
"Fortunately, we are all friends," Matt interjects.
"More or less," Giles murmurs from the kitchen.
Arashiel is curious about why Dinhabah is in chains. Dinhabah will not speak. It's Arashiel's day for mute conversation partners.
"You will not speak to me either? I can get that kind of treatment from Rook."
Smirk and response: "Rook does not like you."
"I don't need a Elohite's resonance to see that. Can I help?"
"I don't know. They will come off eventually. These are made of dissonance; *my* dissonance. Happy?"
"You need not fear me. I am not zealous in these matters," Adriel says.
No one mentions they were not at all afraid; manners are better than ethics in Boulder.
"You do not need to let bad employment ruin things." Arashiel, Soul of Tact. So much for manners.
Dinhabah flashes anger, serendipitously *just* as Matt resonates. Wrath, rage, betrayal, betrayed by his own people, angry because he just is. He wants vengeance.
Adriel thinks this is all very intriguing. A room full of lunatics, who wouldn't be intrigued?
"Did you enjoy your visit from the Triad? Did they ask you invasive questions? Did they want to take you to Heaven?" Dinhabah asks Arashiel.
"One gets used to it in service to Creation. I will try to make time for you in the near future. I am sorry if I can not make enough time right now, but I am going to go and find the person responsible for my sister."
"Look to Hell for that."
"Oddly enough, the woman in Colorado Springs does not know anything."
"You have a lot of enemies, Creation," Dinhabah says ominously. "See that you pick the right one for retaliation."
Outside:
Arabis finds, to her happy surprise, that her resonance is working. She finds Irad lurking outside of the Board. As Rook arrives (and sense the attendant danger) and gets out of his car, Irad lunges at him, snarling obscenities relating to blame and Jael's murder. Rook, rather than fight, ascends.
Irad takes out his Habbalite rage on the unlucky car, and breaks glass and bloodies his hand quite nicely.
Arabis flutters closer, asks what the issue is now.
"He got her killed. They told him to give the soldier back. He did not."
Arabis flies to his shoulder. He is bleeding copiously. "I do not know what happened. What are you about right now?"
"I am looking to dismember the being responsible. Barring that, I will dismember Rook."
"Rook is not responsible."
"He is partially responsible."
"Jael helped capture her," Arabis says. "She was a part of it."
Angry silence. Then: "Why does he not care, the Malakite? Why is he not turning the world inside out for her sake?"
"He is a Malakite. He does not understand death. She will come back."
"He is a fool, blind and stupid. I should have left him in Hell, except that it would have hurt *her*."
"I can't help you answer these questions."
Shift... to Irad calm. "You said no one could help me, and yet you are here. What are you about, then?"
"I think that I have reason to think you have become interesting to someone, and not the right someone."
"I am interesting to the Game, my former Lady, Judgment."
"And Gabriel. It is my job to find out why. Let's just say that you are flying close to danger."
Snort. "I am a renegade, Arabis. How much closer can I get to danger? Do you think I care if they dismantle my forces? She may never come out of Trauma some of us never do. Then what?"
"Someone is going to have to do it for her. Protect the word, Dragons."
"It won't be me."
"Fine then, you should have some interest in who it should be. You can not be a supporter of the Word on BOTH sides and not care."
"What does it matter?" But now he is watching Arabis closely.
"I am not ready for you to be scattered. Call me selfish."
"I think you are stubborn."
"Yes. I am being hunted by Blandine now. I did a very bad thing, without authorization. Bad Arabis, bad."
Smirk. "Have you given someone a bad dream?"
"I have. -- I might need your help."
"Mine?" Hmm.
"There's a powerful demon of Fate out there named Daspit. He might have had something to do with Jael."
"Ah." Habbalite eyes gleam.
"But don't kill Rook, just yet."
"Why don't you ask him for help with Daspit?"
"I think Daspit has a Word, and if he does, all the rest of us would not be able to take him. It would be nice to have someone else who had a Word someone of competence. I heard what you did."
Blink. Irad does not play dumb or innocent. "The Malakim? I hate Malakim. They were afraid of the dragon, the ones that fled. I killed the Malakim that stayed to fight me. -- So you came out here to ask me not to die?"
"Yes, because I care, and I think that Jael cares too. I think Daspit works for Fate, and I think Rocky Flats is a Tether to Fate. I can't be there enough hours in the day to figure out if he is going in and out, and Victoria worked for him. If someone hit Jael as retribution "
"Fate's style is not to blow up a kiln. What does Daspit want, that is the question. He failed with the Tapestry, so now what does he want?"
"She won't talk."
Impatient gesture. These little technicalities... "Then make her talk. Break her fingers one by one until she speaks."
"Rook is respecting Giles' wishes."
"Get your Dreamer friend to crack her dreams and make her talk."
Eh. There's an idea. "I will suggest this." Shift to human (and we wonder where our essence goes, do we?). "Here is my cell phone."
Irad takes it carefully, explores the preprogrammed numbers with some interest. "I like you, raven. Stay out of trouble."
Irad and Arabis walk along, quietly, just a demon and an angel getting along.
In Heaven:
Rook is going to the bazaar. (The GM would like it noted that Rook has a Geas/6 on him, apparently, never to be in the same room as other PCs, nor to aide them in any way, except in extraordinary circumstances involving violence.) Rook is looking for Artifact for Ethereal Form to make him invisible. Then he gets a Song to go and talk to Wayland. In the Marches. Alone.
In the Tether:
"Have you given any thought about what I heard in the library?" Matt inquires of the room at large.
"What did you hear in the library?" Dinhabah asks. Silence. Chuckle. "Don't trust me, Flowers?"
"I want trust you. I really do. The truth is, I don't always trust other angels, either. " (GM notes a distinction here, between Judgement and Other Angels. Interesting.) And so Matt explains to Dinhabah what's happened, and how Matt thinks the unseen angels in Heaven serve they serve Judgment, or the Sword -- indirectly, for Purity.
Dinhabah gets A Look, and Matt resonates. Dinhabah is having an Elohite moment again, analytical. Rage, focus. A problem beginning to make sense. Anger at betrayal.
"So, any suspicions?" Matt prompts.
Arashiel: "There are Tsayadim, still running loose in the Symphony. They are somehow connected and must undoubtedly be fueled somehow."
Dinhabah: "They are all Outcasts. They have no hearts in Heaven if they did not give them to another Superior." Unhappily: "They are killing Ethereals *who* cares?"
Arashiel: "They are more than *just* Ethereals."
"So many said."
"They are the language of the very sub-conscious we are sent here to protect."
"And yet they are imPure, so to answer your question, I suspect nothing is being done about the Tsayadim."
Arashiel sputters indignantly.
"They are hard to catch, I expect. -- You just filled the Marches with bait for the Tsayadim, with your little exercise in unweaving."
Hmm. The thought occurs -- we got a Dreamer in the room. "Has this affected your work?" Arashiel asks Adriel.
Mildly: "Yes. It has changed our landscape."
"Does the availability of these creatures have anything to do with their appearance in dreams?"
"They never disappeared from dreams. Their images changed because they did not have any representation, and so that part drifted."
Talk continues about the technicalities of Ethereals.
Then Arashiel announces, in case it were not obvious, "I need to find the person responsible for the attack on my sister."
Dinhabah studies her a moment. "How does this serve Creation? How does it serve War? You are angry."
"I am focused."
"Same thing."
And the little tea party breaks up -- Matt to go Upstairs for God alone knows what purpose (he may be affected by a lesser version of Rook's Geas). Arashiel and Adriel put their collective heads together. And Arabis and Irad are on their way in.
One big happy family.
First, the Rook bitch session:
"I put my fist through Rook's car window, but he fled when I tried to bash in his skull."
"He would not speak to *me*."
"He would not speak to me either, he just ran."
Then to business: how to get info from Strassen from her dreams, and if Rook will object.
"Why, what's he done now?"
"Put the Soldier under house-arrest until she redeems."
"Though it pains me to say so, you should speak with Rook first," Arashiel says.
"He went to Heaven." Irad makes chicken noises.
Adriel blinks. "Why should I speak with him?"
Arabis, with some exasperation, "Because Rook has placed himself in charge of her."
Arabis has quiet words with Dinhabah, who tells her his manacles are dissonance, and that her offer to help remove them is rather pointless. Still she promises to try -- she has intentions to ascend.
The less quiet bunch are still talking.
"What if Rook says no, then what? We stop?"
"We use Ofanite persuasion."
"Rook's permission or not. If she knows, I will get to her if she knows something. I will blow up the Tether if I have to." Ah, Irad. You *think* you will.
Arashiel sighs. "She did not seem to know. She was more concerned with her choices. Betray her lord and be killed once she left, or remain there and go to Hell. She said she knew nothing about Jael's death."
"And I ask again, why would Daspit make such a big fuss for that woman? Why would he kill an angel to get her back, call a Malakite who hangs up on him upon hearing that there is one warning. -- He got her killed, Rook did. That is why I was trying to crush his skull, but he fled."
"He did not get her killed - " Arabis counters.
And argument ensues. Ah, lovely. Still it is finally decided -- Arashiel, Adriel, and Irad are off to the Springs to investigate both Sean and Strassen. Irad, ironically, is the muscle; Adriel is the Dreamwalker, and Arashiel is Arashiel, Creationer of many talents.
Arabis is off to Heaven to see what Rook thinks about dreamwalking Strassen.
Matt, in the meantime, is putting on the sleuth hat. He goes to the Garden, but Mother is not there at the moment, so he leaves her a note. Then off to the Cathedral of the Sword to talk to ex-Purity people.
He finds a Kyrio named Resh who is willing to chat-- Matt has questions about Purity's purpose in smiting Ethereals, the whys and wherefores. Resh's answers are predictable: Ethereals took essence from humans, and that essence should have gone to God. They called themselves gods, and put themselves forth as equals to God. For the humans whose gods were destroyed -- it was an opportunity to see the Truth. Uriel's recall? God's will is ineffable. The Tsayadim? Rebels who should be hunted down and returned to Heaven. They act in defiance of God's will.
Thus enlightened, Matt thanks Resh politely and moves on with his sleuthing.
Arabis, as we know, is also in Heaven, looking for Rook. Her resonance works again (huzzah!) and she finds him at Bazaar and follows the edges of the Marches. He tries hard to pretend he does not see the Ofanite descending at him... but he has to, in the end. Arabis is a big Ofanite. She informs him that Adriel exists, and that he can spy on Victoria's dreams to gather information.
Rook, of course, sees this an invasion, nay, a *rape* of her mind. He also sees his unwillingness to allow her harm (while allowing that dreamwalking may not be seen as harm by some) is a very Creation point of view. Indeed. Arabis then reveals she saw Rook retreat from Irad... hedging those War dissonance conditions. He says he can walk away from allies... and soon as Irad isn't, there won't be a lot of walking. And no, he will not retaliate against the other angels if they pursue the dreamwalking, but he will try to help Strassen. And no, incidentally, Arabis does not need to ask where he is going.
Ways part -- Rook into the Marches alone (again); Arabis to see about removing manacles and to see Jael.
Rook is looking for Wayland Smith... by the miracle of his Song, he arrives in the proper ethereal realm. He follows the road as it cuts through the forests... oooh. Bodies. Lots of bodies. Pools of blood. A decapitated angel. The smithy, when located, is empty. There are large charred patches of forest... hmm. Rook flies on (the GM beat her head against a wall at this point), encounters another realm, and finds a living being. Said living being has no idea who Wayland is. Drat. Rook returns to Heaven. He briefly encounters the redhead from his last solo journey, who once again wants something besides Rook's essence in trade. He descends Heaven through the Flowers Tether in Denver, and becomes sparrow-Malakite for the flight back to Boulder.
Sleuth-Matt is on the hunt in Heaven. He, too, is on his way to the Far Marches, and like his fellow explorer gone before, he begins in the Bazaar. And like Rook, he acquires a Song to send him on his merry way, and like Rook, he finds the blasted forests and pools of blood and whatnot else. Unlike Rook, Matt stops to investigate.
One body isn't yet dead... hmm. Matt Sings healing for him, and he murmurs that "the Scourge has returned" and that he did not see this Scourge, "only the fire. I just ran. Some fought. It left. It was burning things, we could smell it. I don't know why it left. I thought it was gone. If it's loose, there is no place where you can take me."
This is clearly a time for - Novalis! Matt summons, she answers.
Flowers spring up wherever she steps as she walks down the blasted road. "Got your note, sweetie. This is a mess. What did you find?" She heals the ethereal completely, and lets it flee. "What did you call me for, Matt?
"To let you know right away. We released thousands of creatures to be destroyed? How am I supposed to deal with this? How do I get out of this without being violent. How do I make it right?"
Sigh from Flowers. She gives him a three-time use of the Seraphim of Novalis attunement, and advises him that the Scourge is not invincible, but she will not give up large pieces of plot to him, either. Then she sends him home.
Arabis descends the Destiny Tether just as the doubtful trio departs for Colorado Springs.
Arabis comes down the to the Tether and seeks Giles for some quiet murmuring. She learns that Giles knows what the manacles are -- Dissonance Manacles. Judgement and the Game both have the capability to make them. Arabis confesses she got Geased by Adrienne, and that she's worried about Dinhabah.
And then she calls Arashiel, and tells her Rook does not want Strassen dreamwalked. This will not stop Arashiel, of course, or Adriel, and certainly not Irad.
Irad snarls, "I don't need to be in the War tether to get into her head, do I? I used to serve Nightmares, after all." And to Adriel: "You could supervise. I promise to be good."
Adriel, ignoring Habbalite-taunts: "Rook could not prevent me, anyway. If he foolishly gave his word in an area where he should not be, then he will have his promise broken for him."
Adriel and Irad then engage in a bit of verbal sparring; the end result is that Irad resonates Adriel with What It Feels Like To Fall. That effectively ends the conversation.
So on to Sean... Adriel goes dreamwalking while Irad and Arashiel wait and watch for trouble. Sean's dream: He's in a hot air balloon on Blandine's side of the Marches, then walking down a hallway. He comes to a T intersection. He goes left. A small hot air balloon floats by, and pops as he walks past it. Then there is someone beside him faceless, shapeless, humanoid. FSH opens a jacket, looks in, reaches in, pulls out a box. And Adriel is booted out of the dream.
Adriel relates to Arashiel, and the Uneasy Trio goes off to get some breakfast.
At last, Matt returns down the Tether. He tells Giles what he saw, and expresses intention to go see Rook. And Matt talks to Arabis for awhile, involving speculation on the identity of the Lost One. Arabis thinks it's Irad; Matt thinks it's Uriel.
Then Matt heads off to the Board.
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