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Fantasy Code FERAL

Before the lights dimmed Calista made a quick head count, not too surprised when she found Bael missing. What did surprise her was that another recruit was missing as well.


"Well that's just great." She grumbled. "Rookies."


It was too late to bring them back now. Duik drew in a squeaky breath as a low base note began. He looked about to the people (many of whom were actually wearing Gigi's merchandise. He made a show of wiping a tear from his eye with the back of his paw. "You guys all look fantastic."


Alec looked over at Xiao when she called him. Her excitement was infectious and he couldn't help but smile broadly in return. Now even he was starting to get hyped for the concert and as the note played he sat back in his seat expectantly.


Then the hall went completely dark, the hiss of smoke machines trailed through the inky black room. The low note vanished and a soft, music-box melody began to play as blue light crept timidly through the haze.

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Calista perked up as she recognized the melody. "Ah! This is one of Ambers favorites." She said happily, then crouched, almost as if she was afraid of being heard.


A lone figure appeared through the mist, covered modestly by a long, flowing veil, that billowed peacefully in the wind of small fans hidden under her feet. The wind picked up and the figure stepped forward, head cast down as the wind pulled back the veil. She began to sing in a low, passionate voice, the light glinting off her soft black nose and the rhinestones on her ears and chest. Her eyes had been shadowed and lined so they looked big and exotic. The leopard spots showing on her chest almost looked real for the attention the artist had invested in them. She wore a headset, the mic subtly placed just to the side of her elegant muzzle.


Suddenly the veil fell away and vanished in the fog as the light began to twist and turn in patterns as the filters clicked in and out of place.


Gigi stepped one way and then the other, holding the audience of the concert hall owner and the tech staff captive with her bold but haunting voice. The song had a sad beauty to it which Alec felt, even though the lyrics were in a language he couldn't understand. Duik was completely enraptured. His forepaws had crept up to his mouth in surprise of the sheer emotion Gigi poured into each word.


The poodle then stood completely still as she made her way to the front and center of the stage. The chorus began and when it did the lights exploded in a shower of pink, red and while as a round platform under her feet started to turn and rise. The base pulsed as more figures also dressed in white veils, some human, some canine appeared on stage from right and left. They danced as the platform turned and stairs appeared out of the side of the rising cylinder, allowing the poodle to descent back to the stage in a spiral.


The dancers began to sing as they spun, the light pouring off their wispy cloaks as it raced across the stage.


As the pillar sank back to the ground the dancers joined Gigi at the front and the music soften again as she forged in to the second verse. The poodle swept about the stage in an elegant series of steps, mirrored perfectly by the dancers who by now had lost their own veils and wore flowing white dresses underneath. Alec had never seen a dog move like that before, it looked almost unnatural but had such an elegance to it he couldn't help but be impressed. He wondered how many hours of training she had put in to be able to move like that.


"The song is about a rich girl in love with a stone mason." Calista explained, translating the first verse of the song. "She's trying to explain to her rich friends why he's special and why they shouldn't laugh at him."


The little civet suddenly looked downcast. "Amber would have freaked over this...she should be here."


The song continued with all the passion it had begun with, the lights and effects keeping time with the pulsing rhythm. When it finally wound down only Gigi was left, standing alone on the stage under blue light as the mist trailed off the edge of the stage. The music faded into silence and suddenly the hall lights came back on, stark and offensive compared to the dim beauty of the stage lighting.


"That was perfect darling!" The director called and suddenly, the sad, passionate look in the poodle's eyes vanish and was replaced with a wide, excited and joyful expression.


"Oh sank gooness for zat! I feel my pawz would fall off if I 'ad to dance zat again!"


Her accent was very thickly French and as she regained her normal stance her head came up high and her paws were set neatly close. Her tail waved slowly over her back as she looked up to the lighting array.


"You did a wunderful job Gustav! Keep zat pacing for tomorrow!"


Suddenly her eyes landed on the group of Watch recruits at the back and she squealed happily.


"Oh you are 'ere! Que c'est magnifique! Pleaze pleaze come down to ze stage!"


Duik practically jumped the seats, regaining his composure about half way down the steps to stop casually by the stage. Gigi leapt down. She didn't like being higher than people she was speaking to.


"You know 'oo I am but I do not know your namez yet. You muzt tell me right now!" Her happy excitement coupled with her large, soft eyes made her look absolutely endearing. Her eyes scanned the recruits with a bright interest. When she saw Laohu she giggled, clearly impressed.


"My! I 'ave not seen such a handsome tiger! Your white fur, c'est fantastique monsieur Le Tigre."


She turned to Jimbo and dipped in a small but bouncy bow. "You zir look like you could lift ze entire hall! And zis burly gentleman iz your partner, I would bet my career on it!" She looked at Simon as she said this and inclined her soft muzzle.


Duik stepped forward, but could not actually summon words. He stood there with his mouth open until Gigi tilted her head to the side and tapped his nose with a paw. "T'es trop mignon toi. You are too cute."


Duik collapsed with a sigh and a giddy expression.


Gigi marveled at Luness and complimented Haku's shining white scales, Eos' fine antlers and Totus' soft feathers. It was when she caught sight of Falarion however that her eyes went a little wider. "Quelle surprise! I 'ave never seen such an dog as you before! Your coat iz ze most beautiful of reds monsieur! And you are so tall!" She was clearly taken with him.


"Gigi, you need to be in the limo in 5." A short, slender woman with a tight bun and a business suit appeared to say only that and turned to walk away again.


"Ah! Isabelle! of courze! Um, per'aps you want to come ride wid me zis..." But she had already gone. "Time. Oh," Gigi sighed, crestfallen. She tried to shake it off however, putting on a delightful smile for her guests. "No matter about my companion. She iz very very busy. Viens! You shall all ride wid me in my car."


"Hold off on that for a moment." Calista spoke up. "We're missing two, I need to go get them."


She turned and went, trying not to let her irritation show in her walk.


Gigi turned back to the group. "Well zen! I shall 'ear about you while we wait!"


@zCrookedz @DawnAntalios @Lioness075 @andujarprime @crucialstar @Flutterby @ManyFaces


It did not take Calista long to find Wednesday and Bael and she gave them both a disapproving scowl. "Don't you two have a job to do? The others are waiting for you."


@Hel @Sleipnir
 
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Wednesday and Bael spent the first act out in the main hall chatting about the music they liked as Cerci and Cedar remained inside. Wednesday figured that the moment anything happened Cerci would let her know- she knew she'd be no help in a battle anyway, even with a staff. She was more useful for after battles.


After spending long enough outside to grab concessions, it seemed to be time to head back inside, so she started to, but was met with an angry Calista.


Apparently they had not arrived at the intermission between bands, but for some reason there was an intermission between Gigi's set and her encore performance, that was unlike the few concerts Wednesday had attended. She found herself a touch irritated that Cerci hadn't warned her, however.


'Dumb bear' she though, to which Cerci replied with a sharp, 'Dumb human.'


She looked genuinely surprised at Calista's irritation, and tried quickly to come up with an excuse.


"If our goal is to protect, we should have some people scoping the hall, trying to catch the first signs right? Otherwise we have no more time than anyone else to react- and less than security.... Besides, I'm not terribly useful until after the fact anyway," she said. Her voice was a hushed whisper, assuming their disguises meant their missions required some level of secrecy. Afterward, however, she headed back into the concert hall with the others.


Cerci, meanwhile, had been enjoying the show, though felt a minor disappointment with Wednesday for being irresponsible- she in no way found it her responsibility to tell Wednesday she should have been in there.


@SilverFlight
 
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Bael had also been enjoying the conversation -- much more than he would have the concert, he assumed. He was surprised at first, eyes wide, but he let her take his hand. It was perhaps a bit awkward for him but not something he necessarily minded. After all, it was a pretty crowded hall. With their mission and all, it could be very bad if they got separated. "You know my sister always had this crush--" He stopped when Calista appeared, and when she scolded them for their absence he hung his head, mumbling something akin to an apology under his breath. He hadn't really thought much ahead and hadn't really intentionally ignored orders. It had just happened. He hadn't really thought about the consequences or his orders, and it hadn't even occurred to him that leaving might get him in trouble. But he didn't argue. He didn't want to argue with Calista about this; after all, he was in the wrong, even if he didn't like to admit it. So he wouldn't say anything.


Instead he just went back to the group, pulling his hand back and heading to find Cedar and the others. The bear looked at him and bounded over. "You'll like Gigi," he insisted cheerfully. "I don't know what I was expecting, but this isn't it. She's very sweet!"


Bael frowned, looking over at the pink poodle. He was a bit surprised by that. He had expected her to be no small measure of vain and self-obsessed. He brushed a hand through his messy black hair for a moment, then approached the group, trying to not let embarrassment get the better of him. He watched Gigi speak to the others for a moment, debating on whether or not he should introduce himself to her. After all, she could just as easily miss his presence and he wasn't sure which he preferred.


But Cedar bounded over to the poodle anyway and answered the question for him. "Hi there, I'm Cedar," he introduced himself cheerfully. He looked over at Bael and pointed with his nose. "That's my friend Bael. I don't know if the accent is familiar enough to you to tell, but we're from northern America around the Great Lakes. Bael, say something really ridiculous!"


Bael looked a bit caught off guard but immediately stood up straight, then shifted his weight as if going into character. "Oh, yeah, you betcha. We're meeting by the bubbler, y'kno', if you wanna come along," he called over to them, thickening the accent significantly, managing to look serious for just a second before the pair cracked up laughing.


"You do that too well," Cedar told him. Then he looked at Gigi. "We don't actually talk like that. We just kinda sound like we do."


@Hel @SilverFlight @AnyoneWhoFeelsLikeRespondingToIt
 
Manjano was completely distracted by the people meandering about while Gigi prepared to perform her final song, so much so that he almost missed Beth entirely. Yet, when she had to brush past him to get to the seat beside him, Manjano felt his heart go to his throat and he stiffened visibly before relaxing slightly once she'd settled into her seat. Which of course had to be right beside him.


While Beth had donned fan girl attire, Manjano had changed on the bus, using the small bathroom on it of course, and was now wearing his black attire. Black skinny jeans, ankle-high black converse with some white mixed in, the blackest shirt he could find, though it had some lyrics written on it in white. He'd also managed to find a black leather jacket, which wasn't spiked up or anything like a punk type, but more relaxed in style and better designed to keep someone warm as opposed to scream their rebellious nature. On top of all of this, Manjano also had found a black beanie, which now covered up 3/4 of his pearly white hair. Alas, there was no easy way to hide the scar and blindness in his right eye so he could only hope it didn't freak out Gigi. Then again, Falarion had the same scar so hopefully his scar didn't freak her out either.


Falarion let out a small whimper at Manjano's discomfort, but soon lifted his head and looked toward the staged with perked ears, as Gigi's last song began.


Sighing, Manjano closed his eyes briefly before breathing slowly and desperately trying to calm himself. Luckily, Gigi's final song was exactly what he needed in the moment and Manjano slowly opened his eyes to find the lighting dimmed and he subconsciously glanced sideways at Beth to see that she'd changed before getting here as well.


Feeling as if he were awkwardly staring, and seriously hoping neither Totus nor Beth had noticed it, Manjano quickly shifted his gaze back to the stage in time to hear the intro for Gigi's song.


Falarion overheard Totus' comment and made a pouting face at him before also returning his attention to Gigi, his eyes shimmering and a faint smile on his muzzle, clearly exhibiting just how much he loved Gigi's singing and her song.


@Flutterby


Manjano briefly overheard Simon's empty threat at Jimbo and the corner of his mouth twitched in amusement at such teasing, but otherwise his face remained neutral.


After a minute or two of listening to Gigi's song and having found Simon's threat amusing, Manjano soon relaxed in his seat, even dropping both of his arms to his lap and letting his hands stay there, as he no longer felt the need to keep his arms tensely crossed over his chest.


@zCrookedz @Flutterby


Leandra heard Duik make a squeaky sound nearby and giggled before looking over at him.


After her leg had healed on the plane, Leandra had made it a point to change into one of their many available disguises on the plane.


Leandra now was wearing a black tank top with Gigi's name and some of her lyrics, of what Leandra assumed was her most popular song, in pink on it, a flat bill hat that was primarily white with Gigi's name on it in cursive, some leather bracelets with Gigi assorted stuff on them, black bootcut jeans, and some simple white and pink converse.


Hearing Duik's compliment, Leandra grinned and said, "I try, Duik."


Luness rolled her eyes, pleased that being a bird meant she got out of having to dress up or anything ridiculous.


Returning her attention to the stage once the music began, Leandra leaned forward slightly in her seat, as she eagerly listened to the song and watched each and every effect around and on the stage.


Surprised upon hearing Gigi's voice, Leandra blinked, as she had no idea what Gigi was singing. Was that French?


Regardless, both Leandra and Luness remained enthralled the whole time, as their eyes darted back and forth, watching the dancers in the background and then returning their gaze to Gigi.


Feeling as if she was feeling Gigi's emotions through the song itself and her voice, Leandra's mouth gaped slightly in amazement. To be able to sign with such passion meant that whatever this song translated to, the lyrics held a deep meaning for Gigi.


Watching Gigi dancing so elegantly, Leandra blinked in amazement, as she had no idea a dog (whoops, sorry, Duik) could dance in such an elegant and fluid manner. It was truly amazing.


Hearing Calista explaining the translation of the song, Leandra smiled faintly, as the story sounded like such a beautiful love story. The rich lady falls in love with the tramp, in a sense...Oh! Lady and the Tramp, but human edition!


Luness chortled in Leandra's lap, as she said to Leandra, "Dear, try to keep your focus and not think about Disney movies, okay?"


Smirking down at Luness, Leandra then replied cheekily, "Hey, I do what I want, Lune."


Hearing Calista's voice drop a bit, Leandra glanced over at her and smiled softly before saying, "We'll get her back, Calista."


@SilverFlight


As the song finished off, Leandra grinned and couldn't resist eagerly clapping...only to find that she was the only one doing so. Quickly dropping her hands back to her lap and casually stroking Luness' feathers, Leandra ducked her head in embarrassment, her face flushing slightly.


@anyone


Hearing Gigi's French accent, Falarion slid to the ground, as he smiled at her before watching her seemingly effortlessly jump down from the stage. She was most certainly a sight for sore eyes.


Overhearing Falarion's thoughts, Manjano looked down at the floored maned wolf, fully expecting to see hearts in his eyes and a small pool of drool near his muzzle.


Smirking, Manjano then thought, Is it safe to assume you have a thing for French dogs?


Quickly scrambling back to his paws upon hearing Manjano's thought, Falarion's face flushed deeply red, as he stammered, "N-no, it's not like that at all!"


Hearing Gigi addressing the group and approaching them, Falarion quickly shut his muzzle and sat on his rump while intertwining his fore paws anxiously.


Oblivious to how upset he'd been just before the song, Manjano chuckled at Falarion's embarrassment, an extremely unusual sound to hear from him, before standing up and joining Falarion's side.


@SilverFlight @Flutterby


As Gigi jumped down from the stage, Leandra helped Luness onto her shoulder before standing up and exiting the seating area to meet the pop star and animal advocate.


Seeing Duik's reaction to Gigi, Leandra couldn't help laughing out loud, a grin seemingly permanently on her face for now.


Hearing and seeing what Gigi said and did to Duik next brought out more laughter from Leandra, who was more than enjoying this moment.


@SilverFlight


Seeing Gigi tap Duik on the nose and then say something in French before calling him cute, Falarion let out a small whimper while his tail furiously wagged behind him on the floor, effectively dusting it.


Manjano shook his head in amusement while shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, the corner of his mouth twitching as if he was struggling to not smile in the moment.


@anyone


Luness dipped her head appreciatively at Gigi when Luness was noticed, as she felt a deep respect for the poodle. To be a big time celebrity and still deeply care for others was a truly unique role in this world.


@SilverFlight


Falarion felt his heart melt when Gigi looked at him and her eyes widened while Falarion's heart threatened to give out on him.


Hearing Gigi's compliments, Falarion practically began hyperventilating, as he tried to respond to her, "I, uh, yes, I'm very red. Ah, no, I mean...er, I'm not a dog, I'm a maned wolf, actually! Uh, and...thanks."


Blinking after struggling to speak, Falarion suddenly slapped himself in the face with one of his forepaws, feeling absolutely embarrassed for finding it so difficult to speak in the moment.


Smirking at Falarion's struggle, Manjano thought, I think that went smoothly.


Perking his ears up at this, despite not actually hearing Manjano speak out loud, Falarion jumped to his paws and said defensively, "Hey! I don't see you sweet-talking anyone here!"


Making a pouting face, Falarion then added, "Anyways, it's not as easy as movies or even books make it out to be..."


At the mention of him trying to talk with any girls, Manjano's thoughts instantly went to Beth and he found himself subconsciously rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner.


@SilverFlight (@Flutterby mentioned)


Hearing that Gigi had to go soon, Leandra couldn't resist saying out loud, "Aww, but we just got here."


Luness rolled her eyes at this and then said, "I don't think that's up to us, sadly."


Shrugging, Leandra then walked past anyone in front of her so she had a clear view of Gigi. She then smiled down at her before saying, "Well, I'm Leandra and the phoenix on my shoulder is Luness."


Unable to resist after seeing and hearing Falarion's reaction to Gigi, Leandra then quickly added, "Oh, and the other white-haired human over there with the smitten wolf is Manjano. He's my twin brother. The maned wolf's name is Falarion."


Leandra's eyes lit up after the short introductions as she quickly added, "Oh! And all four of us are from Australia, hence the accents."


@SilverFlight


Hearing Leandra say he was smitten, Falarion's face became so red that anyone could see him blushing despite his red fur coat.


@SilverFlight @anyone else nearby
 
As the lights went dark Simon leaned back a bit in his chair and propped his one good foot up on the chair in front of him. Simon wasn't much one for music. He would occasionally have the radio playing in the background, but unless it was a football game, he wouldn't normally listen to it. Jimbo was a different story. The big lug loved music, mostly classic rock, but when a song came one that caught his fancy he would add it to his iPod and have it for when he felt in the mood.


By the time Gigi had reached the rising stage, Jimbo's jaw was slightly agape and his eyes wide. He watched and listened and felt the music move him in a way he hadn't expected it to. He didn't know if it was the melody of the music, or the enchanting foreign language it was sang in, but Jimbo had never heard anything quite like this before. Simon looked over at his partner and smiled seeing Jimbo so wrapped in the music.


By the end of the song, Jimbo had sat up in his seat a little more and nearly jumped out of his seat when Leandra had. Luckily Jim realed himself back to his normal senses as the song died away and merely sat back in his chair with a smile. Simon had since tried to keep his attention on the show, but it was obvious to anyone who had been watching that his eyes were focused on something further away than the concert. Calista's comment about the song, and even more so about Amber had kept him still and quiet for the duration of the concert, but a bump to his leg brought him back at the end of the concert.


"Come on big guy, let's go meet Gigi."


Simon and Jimbo followed the rest of the group and was pleasantly surprised at Gigi's reaction to them being here. She seemed very interested in meeting the group and learning about them, not what Jimbo had expected at all. When she approached the group and spoke to Jimbo, He smiled to her and nodded as she asked about Simon being his partner.


"Yes ma'am. He may drive me nuts sometimes, but I'll claim him every time."


Simon leaned on his crutches and nodded to Gigi.


"Simon Sinclair, and this is Jimbo. That was quite the show."


Jimbo looked over and watched Duiks reaction to Gigi and he rolled his eyes nudging him with his knuckles.


"Com'on giggles, pull yourself together."


Jimbo wasn't going to lie to himself, he had enjoyed the performance greatly, and the next chance he got he was going to have to find some new music for his iPod. but his attention was quickly drawn away by the approach of a human. She was definitely a businesswoman, and from the looks of it she was quite important. As he watched Gigi and the woman's interaction, Jimbo's eyes furrowed and he kept his gaze locked on her until she was out of sight. He got a weird feeling from her, but other than her to busy attitude, Jimbo couldn't quite put his finger on it.


Simon however had continued to watch the introductions and when Flarion had finished speaking Simon held a great big smile as he nudged Manjano in the shoulder with his elbow.


"I wouldn't think Falarion could get much reder, eh Manjano."


@SilverFlight @Lioness075
 
Feeling his shoulder nudged, Manjano instantly stiffened and his eyes widened slightly before he looked sideways and realized it was just Simon.


Sighing, Manjano let his hand drop back to his side before hearing Simon's comment about Falarion.


Blinking since his mind had wandered a moment ago, realization then dawned on him, as Manjano remembered Falarion's embarrassed attitude because of Gigi.


Smirking at Simon, Manjano shrugged in response, amused once more.


Overhearing Simon's comment, Falarion sat on his rump, lowering his head, as he still felt extremely embarrassed. Dropping his ears to his head, effectively making them floppy for the time being, Falarion's tail still wagged rather quickly behind him, despite his anxious behavior he was currently displaying.


Nervously looking at Duik, Falarion then quickly trotted over to his side before whispering, "Hey, um, any chance you could help me out here? I don't know how to handle a situation like this! Plus, both Manjano and Simon are making fun of me now."


After saying this, Falarion pointedly glared at Simon and Manjano before anxiously looking back at Duik.


Seeing Falarion's glare sent his way, Manjano smirked again and shook his head while finding this whole situation to be highly amusing.


@zCrookedz @SilverFlight @anyone else
 

As Xiao Hui waited for the show to begin, even with the lights dim and the soft melody of the music in the background, Xiao Hui felt excitement fluttering about in the pit of her stomach. Her ears caught Zoe's voice as she turned around grinning at her. However hearing anger in her voice as the same time flusteredness, Xiao Hui couldn't help but smile sheeplishly, somehow liking the scolding or rather the whispered yell she was given. It had been a long time since she was yelled at in such a way, it was new and exciting. She was always obedient and so for Zoe to give her such remarks, Xiao Hui shrugged nonchalangtly, listening to her reasons before responding, "Thank you for deciding to sit with me Zoe, well, we haven't had much of a chance to get to know each other and what better way than now? Killing two birds with one stones, right?" She said, wincing slightly at the words "killing two birds". "Though. .I'm sorry about pulling you along with me like that, I got too. . excited. . I mean. . I never saw the outside of my home besides its four walls." Xiao Hui said sincerely, meaning her apologies. Nevertheless, refrained from thinking on the phrase she had used prior and continued, "You have sharp instincts already," she paused, "I have no qualms about your ability, wherever you sit, you will be able to find the source/ perpartrator if need be." Xiao Hui said confidently to the young woman next to her, quite estatic that Zoe took her up on her offer. Tilting her head, Xiao Hui blinked at her, "You're caring and sweet, Zoe, despite your words, you mean it in the best way." She said, genuinely, quite surprised the young woman cared for her enough to say she'd watch her due to her injuries, though she suffered as well. "How about. . we watch each other's back, yes? You have suffered injuries too, if I recalled." Xiao Hui winked at her , nodding her head, though her words were resolute, leaving no room to argue. The more she talked with Zoe and watched her facial expression, Xiao Hui couldn't help but be intrigued with her, serious and stern, yet there was some underlying emotions and feelings wanting to surface, though the young woman is holding back so much. What was it? As intrigued as she was, Xiao Hui knew her boundaries and didn't say much about it, but she hoped, one day, she'd open up and show them who she truly is and not what half of what she is. Giggling, Xiao Hui shook her head in response to Zoe's sort of pout when she didn't want to hear a talking dog celebrity sing, "There's more than meets the eyes Zoe, don't judge her before you meet and see her." Soon, Xiao Hui found her smile, forming a huge grin as she heard and saw Zoe's reaction to her compliments. She's definitely adorable when flustered and denying herself. Shaking her head, Xiao Hui giggled at the young woman next to her and waited for her to finish her mantras of not liking what she was wearing, denying her cuteness, and downright being negative on it all. However, hearing Zoe's soft whisper to only what she can hear from her, Xiao Hui felt a blush forming on her face once more as she looked at Zoe, quite in a new light. She never imagined Zoe complimenting her, much more so, telling her the outfit fits her. This caused her to be quite bashful yet overjoyed. Gently, Xiao Hui reached over and placed a small hand on her arm, smiling softly, "Of course you wouldn't dress up like this normally, but seeing you in casual clothings than in uniform before makes you more. . how do you say it..? Ah, approachable and of your age. The pouts and the blush," Xiao Hui said softly, "is what makes you human, in a way. You can still be who you are: a warrior, but also, Zoe." She finished and gently let go of her hand off of Zoe's arm and finished with, "I like who you are, a strong warrior with a sense of justice, yet also a young woman who wants to have feel and let loose too." At those words, she let Zoe to herself as Xiao Hui wondered if she said too much and was being a nosy body, nevertheless, she turned to her own outfit. It fits her? Xiao Hui looked at her high-waisted shorts that she managed to cut out during the time they were on the plane as her shirt was cut-up on her shoulders, letting the shirt fall loosely on her frame, exposing a her shoulder blades and shoulder. Her shirt had lyrics of one of her most famous songs as Xiao Hui smiled, reading and understanding it, on the other hand, she was glad for comfortable shoes: black boots that tied up on the back as it reached her knees. If her Father saw her now, he'd scold her for wearing such provocative clothing and showing some skin. However, Laohu didn't seemed to mind, only relieved when her scars and her family's emblem being covered.


Xiao Hui looked over towards Alex, seeing him in a casual outfit as well as she blinked, not realizing she was staring and just smiled softly and reverted her attention back at the stage. On the other hand Laohu nodded at Eos' words, smiling,
"It's been a long time since she seemed youthful-like, so, it's a new aspect of Hui I have seen and it'll be etched in my memories." He said fondly as Laohu walked with Eos, finding a seat next to him. Soon the concert hall darkened, the smoke machine hissing out through the room, letting the mysterious and darkness take control of the atmosphere. Xiao Hui's heart leaped as she suddenly, out of sheer reflex, gently moved her arm and touched Alec's, gripping it slightly from anticipation. Soon, the low note finished and a music-box like melody echoed through the halls and soon the peformance was on. Xiao Hui was encaptued from beginning to end, watching the elegance of Gigi, moving fluidly in one motion as she was the song itself. Her voice was haunting and passionate, as she rendered her audience with wanderlust and genuineness. Laohu watched in mesmerization, listening to the lyrics with openness as Xiao Hui continued watching on the performance as all of their costumes dazzled to the point the song and all came together in unity. The lyrics Gigi sang made her heart soar, feeling the underlying emotions from them. Her understanding of the lyrics and knowing French helped her a lot in feeling more in-tuned and touched by the performance in continuum. As Calista's voice rang softly through, Xiao Hui nodded at her translations, agreeing with it, as she summarized the idea. Though, Xiao Hui wished to translate the words by each sentence if they needed it, however, seeing everyone's expression, she already knew, the song itself, spoke for itself. As the song came to an end, a tear rolled down Xiao Hui's cheeks as she felt a emotions surfacing her being. Once the performance ended, she stood up, softly moving her hand from Alec, clapping loudly for Gigi as she was enchanted by her voice and the lyrics. Soon, Xiao Hui sat back down as Gigi caught sight of them, looking particularly at the spirit animals. Laohu blinked, hearing the accent radiating from her voice as she took a slight interest in him because of her white pelt. He bowed his head slightly, "Merci beaucoup, mademoiselle. votre performance était magnifique. " He said fluently and gently towards the performer. Soon, Laohu couldn't help but chuckle at Duirk's and Falario experience with the leopard-poodle that was in front of them. He was quite interested Gigi, seeing how down-to-earth the poodle leopard was, unliked the lot of other celebrities.


Xiao Hui was thoroughly amused by Falarion, much more so by Duirk and couldn't help but laugh and turned towards Manjano and Falarion,
"Seems someone's entranced and stumblng over their words, are they? Poodle's caught your tongue?" She teased Falarion mostly and sent a soft smile towards Manjano then turned back towards the rest as Simon was talking to Majano and Falarion. Looking over at Beth, Xiao Hui smiled softly and sent a wave to her and Totus. As Leandra introduced herself, Xiao Hui's attention was towards her, remembering her camera comment. Once she finished introducing herself to Gigi, Xiao Hui walked over to Leandra, excusing herself from Zoe and Alec and tapped on her shoulder. "Hi, Leandra. You like photography? I do have a camera. . though, I sadly didn't bring it with me. However, I'm not sure if you would want to use such an ancient camera I have from back home. It's an instant film camera, would that work?" She asked, tilting her head slightly before looking towards Luness. "How are you faring? I hope you two are recovering well?" She whispered hopefully and sincerely, but seeing how optimistic and resilient they were, Xiao Hui knew they'd be okay. However, what spotted her was odd was Gigi's companion, seeing her indifferent and stern. The look of Gigi's disappointment was noticeable and Xiao Hui couldn't help but be confused by it. Was their relationship strained or something happened? Her companion seemed cold yet Gigi wanted to be closer but no signs were there. Nevertheless, soon, Laohu walked over towards where Durik was and patted his shoulder, "I agree with Jimbo, too." He teased and nodded towards Jimbo as Falarion came over to say something. Instead of listening to what seemed private, Laohu looked at Gigi, introducing humself, "Je m'apelle Laohu et mon partenaire est Xiao Hui." Laohu said, signaling over to where Xiao Hui was with Leandra.

@SilverFlight @zCrookedz @Flutterby @Lioness075 @DawnAntalios
 
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Beth glanced at Simon and Jimbo and gave them a smile, but the music started before she could speak a greeting. As the first note reverberated out, her eyes fixed on the stage. The melody was like a msic box, but as the lyrics began, her brow furrowed. There was so much passion there, and no small amount of pain..


Totus gave Beth an odd look, as waves of emotion started coming from her during the performance.


She couldnt understand the words, but the sound of the music pulled at her. There was tension and resolution everywhere in the melody, and the beat thudded in her chest. She was so enraptured by what it made her feel that she completely missed Calista's translation. Tears began to prick at her eyes, but all of the sudden the song was over and the house lights came on. Beth quickly swiped away her tears and stood, following the others down to meet their new friend with Totus on her shoulder.


Beth stayed quiet for a moment, but Totus puffed up with pride at her compliment. Great, just what he needed. Beth raised an eyebrow, as two of their team mates more or less collapsed into puddles of adoration for the poodle. Falarion seemed to be on the verge of either fainting or exploding. At least Manjano seemed amused by it. Beth caught sight of Xiao Hui, and returned the wave with another friendly smile.


The banter over their reactions was humorous, but Beth was distracted by checking out the stage with her gadget glasses, and Totus was trying to behave as if he was above it all.


Gigi's human companion seemed odd, so very business-like when compared to her energetic, bubbly canine. And it was clear that their relationship was lacking. Did the bun-lady not care for her companion? Was that why Gigi advocated for companion rights?


She wanted to know there names, so at a break in the conversations, Totus piped up with, "Its a pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle. I am Totus, and my companion is called Beth." Beth raised a hand in greeting and smiled shyly, but really wished to stay in the background.


@SilverFlight @crucialstar (@zCrookedz @Lioness075 mentioned)
 
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Hearing Xiao teasing him, Falarion narrowed his eyes at her and tried to look intimidating, but he was still blushing too much and clearly anxious to be intimidating whatsoever.


Wait, wasn't it supposed to be 'cat's caught your tongue'?


Now confused, Falarion sat down beside Duik, his head tilted to the side while he looked at nobody in particular.


Oblivious to the smile Xiao had given him, Manjano continued to silently and amusingly watch Falarion from afar.


@crucialstar


Feeling someone tap her on the shoulder that Luness wasn't already perched on, Leandra turned to the side to see Xiao standing there.


Mildly surprised, Leandra blinked at the girl before Xiao began talking about photography again. Instantly, Leandra was grinning from ear to ear. Photography was one of her top three hobbies, after all.


At the mention of an 'ancient camera', Leandra giggled and then responded, "Of course an instant film camera will still work! I have my own Polaroid back home in Australia. In fact, I have two different Polaroids, a 600 series and a Spectre series. I love them and I even have two Nikon DSLR cameras!"


Realizing she was starting to rant a bit, Leandra paused and then blushed slightly before scratching at the back of head and saying, "Sorry about that. If you didn't already figure it out, photography is one of my favorite things in the world."


When she paused again, Leandra was surprised when Xiao whispered to her. Was it supposed to be some kind of secret or something that they'd been injured?


Unsure, Leandra whispered back, "We're fine, though we won't be able to make the scars go away, magical healing serum or not."


@crucialstar


When Xiao looked away and at Gigi's human companion, Leandra's eyes followed and she frowned, as Gigi's companion sounded rude and indifferent. In an instant, Leandra disliked Gigi's companion.


Luness whispered into Leandra's ear though, "Hey, we don't know anything about these two, yet. Maybe they fought recently and are just getting over something. Who knows?"


Sighing, Leandra whispered back, "If you say so. My gut instinct says that something else is up here though."


@anyone near enough to hear


Overhearing Laohu's French, Leandra blinked and then looked over at Xiao before saying, "Since when did Laohu speak French? Wait, does that mean you speak it as well?"


@crucialstar
 
After the scolding Wednesday joined the others as they spoke with the pop star poodle. She had fallen back into relative silence as she watched the others interact. Bael's exaggerated accent was cute, she thought.


She listened to the other conversations taking place but showed little interest in actually talking to anyone. Watching the others so excited about meeting the pop star was enough for her, but she wasn't particularly interested. To her, Gigi was just a random pooch who happened to sing well. The mechanics of that one boggled her mind, truth be told. Ah, well, she figured, that's a mystery for another day.


Meanwhile Cerci had a big dumb grin, she kept trying to bud into conversations here and there but couldn't seem to find a place. She would talk to Gigi, but that dog was beyond famous, and that intimidated Cerci a little.
 
Zoe was paralyzed, she just helplessly looked at Xiao as she spoke. There was no reason trying to keep up her tough image, not now anyway. She found herself conflicted with strange emotions, the kind, caressing words of Xiao were so alien, so distant for her like everything else in her life. She had worked in hostile conditions, studied under merciless but just tutors and spoke to many within this band of heroes as well... but none of them was as carefree as this girl was. Well, maybe Duik but there was something strange about this one, something she could not explain.


She spoke about not being able to visit other countries before and she was frankly curious. Xiao seemed to be a trained warrior, she imagined that she had served in the army just as she did but hearing her words it turned out that her theory was faulty. She knew not what to say at first but then she calmed herself and spoke.


" Well this will be a great opportunity for you then. " she nodded " I am certain that the Watch will guide us towards many dangerous countries on various missions. We will surely fight in the most inhospitable environments for sure. "


She listened to the continuing torrent of compliments and she bowed her head, a faint smile appearing on her expression as she did so.


" You remind me of Natalie. " she whispered " My sister. She used to treat me like a little girl. "





A memory flashed in her mind. She was but 3 years old and was playing in the garden with a stick, a book open next to here which taught how to fight with swords in the medieval age. Though she could not read it she saw the pictures and the baby Zoe was poking around with zealous vigor. An older girl, one with long black hair, walked up to her and smiled.


" Natty! " the baby Zoe exclaimed as she poked around " Look Natty, I am a fighter, just like you! "


" Are you now? " the girl chuckled, ruffling the shortly cut blonde hair of the little girl " You are a vicious, adorable little cutie, that is true. "


" I am NOT CUTE! " the little baby yelled, her cheeks turning red " I am ready to follow you to battle, Natty! I will help you! "


Natalie smiled and chuckled.



" Eager and brave as always. But tell you what, my little cute warrior: you need to help me in one thing. One that only you can do nobody else. "


Baby Zoe's eyes lit up in excitement, dropping the stick.



" What is it? What is it? I want to help you Natty! "


The big sister leaned closer, whispering.



" Promise me that you will always remain like this, cheerful, kind but fierce and strong - like now. Promise me that you will be the best sister in the world. "


Zoe laughed and jumped in the hands of Natalie, laughing.



" Zoe promises! Zoe will always love you! "


The vision blurred then faded away, returning Zoe to the waking world. She now had a smile on her face and she felt at ease.


" Approachable is not one of my virtues. " she said with a gentle voice " I am supposed to be the stalwart protector, the one who is vigilant, strong and always encourages the others. " she sighed " I promised my sister that I will never give up, that I will never yield. I intend to keep my word and work hard for myself and others. I leave the 'cute' stuff to those who can afford such luxury. "


She leaned against the chair and grinned.


" Man, this emotional bullshit always made me sappy, no wonder I wanted to forget it how it feels. But enough talk, let's see what this dog-show is about. "


She watched and listened as the pop 'diva' was singing and even though she was not very enthusiastic she had to admit that what she was hearing was really interesting - and pleasant. She did not expect the dog to have such a charming voice, by the end of the show she found herself tapping on the floor with enthusiasm and clapping at the end.


When the show finished she stood up and put on a serious expression as she walked up to the poodle, trying to stay professional. She walked up to her and bowed respectfully.


" It is an honor to meet you, Lady Gigi. " she said with a neutral tone " The performance was truly something to behold. I am honestly glad that I was able to see this myself, my judgment has changed on this... tour of ours. "


She found that her words came out rather awkwardly, they were a bit more uncomfortable than she had wanted. Playing with her farmer skirt for a bit she coughed and nodded. She waited for Eos to walk next to her before she talked.


" I am Zoe and this is my companion Eos. " she said as the stag nodded respectfully " We are... thrilled... to be here with you on this... beautiful... cool day. " she pressed out the words with great pain. She could barely keep a cool expression so she quickly looked around, searching for Xiao with her pleading eyes to help her. She, however, had no luck in this so she just stood there awkwardly, waiting for the others to make their introductions and let them be on their way.


@crucialstar @SilverFlight
 
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Calista had to approve (be it begrudgingly) of Wednesday's forethought. It was true patrolling the hall for suspicious activity was a good idea.


She nodded to them both. "All right, rookie, but don't make a habit of it."


Gigi smiled at Cedar, Cerci and the two extra humans as they appeared with Calista. "How sharming!" She exclaimed as cedar bounded up to her.


"It iz wonderful to meet ze rest of your group."


When Bael exaggerated his accent Gigi laughed, a light, wonderful sound.


@Sleipnir @Hel


Falarion spoke up timidly her attention turned back immediately to him and she gasped. "A wolf! From Australie? 'ow exotic!" She batted her darkened eyelashes. "I muzt 'ear all about your 'ome in ze car Falarion darling, I 'ave never been to Australie, but I 'ave always dreamed of going!"


@Lioness075


When Laohu addressed her in French she paused for a moment, her eyes growing wider before she squeaked with delight.


"Vous parlez Francais! Oh! Zat is truly magnificent! And zis elegant girl iz your companion?" She said as she glanced at Xiao, "Joli comme une fleur non Laohu?" She giggled and looked up at Xiao, "c'est un veritable plaisire ma chere."


@crucialstar


She smiled at the owl kindly. "It iz so grand to meet so many fine people. I so seldom get ze chance to talk wid my fans, and I love it so much."


@Flutterby


Zoe and Eos she greeted as well, complimenting Zoe on her wonderful clothing style. "You'ave a very good eye for fashion!" She exclaimed.


@DawnAntalios


Meanwhile Duik had noticed Falarion's reaction as soon as he himself recovered. He recognized the look right away. Alec had looked like that a lot recently. The latest being when Xiao had touched his hand before the end of the concert. He would be the first to admit he'd always been crushing on the beautiful singer, but noting how she looked at Falarion too, well, there was no way he'd interfere with that.


He threw a paw about the maned wolf's shoulders. "Never fear my main canine. The D-meister can help you out." He pulled Falarion off to the side while Gigi spoke to the others. "Find out what she likes, ask her about herself. And don't forget to be yourself. You want to show her the real you."


@Lioness075


Alec stood off to the side. He had said his greeting to the star and laughed as Duik had his predictable reaction. He glanced off to one side of the concert hall and thought he saw someone vanish out a a side door. Gigi's excited voice brought him back however.


"Well! Come one tout le monde! I mean, everyone. To ze limo! We muzt go back to my town houze in time for supper!"


She led them all to a small door and out into the crisp night air. Alec had to note that the temperature here was cool, but certainly not below freezing like it had been in Kootenay.


A massive stretch limo sat just by the exit, the path between the building and the car had been corded off by red velvet ropes and on either side of them fans began to scream as they saw Gigi. The poodle took it in stride, beckoning her new friends to go on ahead of her. A member of staff followed her with a pad of ink and when someone held out a piece of paper she would put her paw on the offered pad and sign the paper with a pawprint.


Within the limo it was much quieter. Alec sat on one of the leather seats which stretched about the entire cabin in a ring. More than enough room for all the recruits and their companion animals.


Gigi climbed in last and cleaned her paw with a cloth sitting on one of the cup holders. "I am sorry for ze excitement. No matter 'ow 'ard my staff tries, someone always discovers my rehearsal dates and posts zem on ze internet."


Once her paw was clean she looked at Falarion and happily patted the seat beside her. "Now, you muzt tell me everything!"


@everyone
 
Samantha had arrived at the concert hoping she had not arrived too late to meet the others "I think this is where they said to go at hq" she said as she slowly walked around sifting through the crowd of people which was rather easy since Inkanis scared most of them out of the way allowing them to reach the hallway after a bit of wandering,she saw the others around a corner and presented herself first hoping not to intimidate anyone with the terror bird that was following her "Hello,i'm so sorry i'm late i'll try not to let it happen again!" she said practically bursting from the excitement and fear of judgement from the others since it was never good to be late to such important things "Might I ask where Gigi is?" she asked no one in particular since she was too busy looking everyone over,she was pleased to see there were no pigs or boar amongst them however the tiger caught her eye since she had studied the phenomenon of albino animals once before but he seemed like something else,she began to notice every single animal seemed to be special holding some kind of feeling that made them seem like more than a normal animal would.


Inkanis could smell other animals and peeked over Samantha as she watched her look everyone over,she felt no such feelings toward anyone if anything she thought the smaller animals might make a nice meal but that would not be approved of and then she would have to deal with an angry spirit animal owner,she hissed angrily and clacked her beak
"Stupid delicious morsels" she said to herself clacking her beak a few times before settling waiting for the cue in which she could reveal herself and get a better look at everyone and meet this 'Gigi' that was so important


@Anyone in the hallways (Intros are my weak point i'm sorry if it's disappointing)
 
One of the attendants saw Samantha (mostly because of her large companion animal) and opened the velvet cords to let her onto the red carpet.


"You can get into the limo Miss Samantha, there's a trailed hooked up to one of the support cars just behind it for your uh...bird."


Gigi who had seen the large animal through the window of her limo rolled down the window.


"My goodness! In all my life I 'ave never seen such a grand creature! You are very welcome! I shall see you at my townhouse!"


When Samantha approached the limo Duik gave her a friendly wave. Calista just raised a furry eyebrow.


"You're late." Was all she said.


"Don't mind Calista," Duik chanced, "She's always like that."


"You better mind me if you know what's good for you rookie." The civet shot back.


@ManyFaces
 
Simon watched as Falarion shot him and Majano a glare and his ears flopped a bit. Simon gave the wolf an apologetic smile before giving him a pat on the head.


"Aww come on little buddy, I was just joking with ya."


Jimbo looked from Duik to Falarion as Duik seemed more than happy to help out the wolf with advice. Jimbo rolled his eyes, what in the world would the Hyena know about females? But then again Jimbo had to hand it to him, chances were he knew more than Jimbo did.


Simon swayed a bit on his crutches as he watched the others interact with Gigi. Looking over his shoulder he watched as Beal, Wednesday and their crew returned with Calista. He let his mind wonder a bit thinking back to the look Calista had shot them during the briefing, but only let his mind set on it for a second. There was know way they could do anything right now other than the task assigned, or risk blowing the entire mission. That was fine, gave Simon time to relax.


It was about that time that Jimbo nudged Simon in the arm and held out his hand. Simon slipped his hand under the apes and felt a small object drop into it. Simon looked down at it and looked back to Jimbo questioning as he saw Ambers pendant. Before he could ask, Jim leaned in close so as to not disrupt the others.


"Forgot to give that back to you after the briefing. Things kinda ran away from me. Calista said you should hold onto it, your kind the only one who has actual pockets."


Simon raised his head in acknowledgment and ran a thumb over the pendant a few times before pocketing the locket with a smile.


Pretty soon it seemed like they were moving once more and Simon hobbled along behind the others until they were outside. He looked over the crowd of people and animal fans that were waiting for Gigi to arrive and chuckled to himself. Then he noticed something strange, an unbelievably big bird that seemed to be eyeing the crowd with an unhealthy gleam in its eyes. The girl with the bird called out and seemed to be mentioning Gigi. Simon waved her down with a smile.


Simon watched the man let her in and the giant bird and realized she must be the other agent that they were going to be meeting up with. Simon offered the girl a friendly smile after hearing Calista, then held open the door for the girl to climb in.


"That is the biggest bird I have ever seen!"


@Lioness075 @SilverFlight @ManyFaces
 
Samantha blushed embarrassed and climbed into the limo trying not to step on any paws or feet,upon hearing the civet slash her with words she went silent since after all she was her superior,she looked at Simon "Oh her attitude is much larger than her size,is the silverback your companion?" she asked looking over the strong creature she had never seen so many animals in one place not eating eachother or arguing like they did at hq.


Inkanis eyes gleamed with a sense of pride upon being given such notice and respect "Thank you for the compliment" she said to Gigi fluffing her feathers some before she walked away and into the trailer and walked in a circle thrice before sitting herself down and looking for something she might hope to eat.


@zCrookedz


@SilverFlight


@Anyone in ze limo
 
Whipping his head towards Gigi when she gasped, Falarion sheepishly grinned at her excitement, though his head was still lowered in an anxious manner while his tail wagged about behind him.


Exotic was certainly nothing he'd ever been called before, though he supposed that since his species originated in South America and he was from Australia, well, that did seem to make him highly unusual. For his kind, at least. Wait, were there normally any wolves in the wilds of Australia?


Having distracted himself, Falarion blinked and Gigi was almost immediately talking to the others now. Darn.


Jumping slightly when Duik suddenly placed his paw over Falarion's shoulders, Falarion also winced a bit since he was still sore from his mostly healed injury.


Glancing sideways at the hyena, Falarion excitedly grinned at him, as Duik nicknamed himself, but made it sound like he knew what he was talking about at least.


With his tail wagging about behind him, Falarion followed Duik off to the side and then lowered his head a bit, as if the pair were sharing some big secret. Well, it felt that way to Falarion anyways.


Listening to Duik's advice, Falarion bobbed his head in agreement and then excitedly responded, "Great idea!"


Pausing, Falarion then added as an afterthought, "Does sharing my favorite ball with her constitute as being the real me? I do love ba-, er, toys that look like, um. You know what, never mind."


Pressing one of his paws against his forehead in embarrassment, he wasn't even talking to Gigi yet!, Falarion then sighed before hearing Gigi announcing that it was time for them to leave...in a limo!?


Embarrassment forgotten, Falarion excitedly bounded ahead of most of the group, but skidded to a halt when he got close to Gigi again.


Nervous once more, Falarion skirted to the side and soon joined Manjano's side, brushing up against him for comfort.


@SilverFlight


Startled by Falarion's sudden appearance, Manjano glanced down at him, his expression showing how distracted he'd been a moment ago.


Similarly to Alec, Manjano had been silently watching around the area after Falarion had wandered off with Duik. Manjano had also noted the figure disappearing into a doorway, but Gigi was already summoning the group and it looked like they didn't have the time to investigate.


Shaking his head to clear his head, Manjano then looked down at Falarion with a smirk, as he was wholly amused to find Falarion extremely uncomfortable in a social situation, especially when the roles were normally reversed. Of course, if Beth were to try and speak with him or do something...


Alas, Falarion was so caught up with the Gigi stuff happening that he didn't even hear Manjano's thoughts about Beth.


With the lack of teasing for it, Manjano was a bit surprised, but soon he was beyond overwhelmed and froze in place just outside of the theater. Seeing the fans shouting and even screaming at Gigi, plus the cameras flashing everywhere, Manjano felt his heart go into his throat, as his eyes widened and he began panicking.


Falarion's eyes widened when he realized what was happening to Manjano, as he let out a worried whimper and then bit onto the end of one of his jean legs, yanking Manjano's leg in the direction of the limo.


Soon enough, Falarion had his head against Manjano's lower back and was practically shoving the man towards the limo.


A minute or two later, and the pair were both sitting in a far corner of the limo, Falarion worriedly looking at Manjano, who had cut off communications and was just focusing on his breathing so he could slow it down. It felt near impossible though.


The flashes, shouting, screaming, girls...it all reminded him of the night at their 16th birthday when he...made an unforgivable mistake.


Immensely worried about Manjano, Falarion quickly searched the limo for Beth, as he knew she just might be able to help out Manjano. If he asked Leandra to help, she might make it worse.


Falarion was soon standing in the middle of the limo and once he found Beth, he gently nudged her with his muzzle before gesturing towards Manjano in his corner and whispering, "I don't know what to do, he's completely freaked out. Can you, maybe, bring him back to reality or something? Please?"


Tilting his head to the side, Falarion made a classic puppy begging look before overhearing Gigi calling out to him.


Feeling his heart beginning to race, Falarion then quickly whispered to Beth, "Just...at least try, okay? For me?"


@Flutterby


Falarion then wandered over to Gigi's side, cautiously jumping up onto the seat beside her, though he made sure to give her space and not crowd her or anything weird like that.


Hearing Gigi excitedly tell him to tell her everything, Falarion of course immediately blanked and gave her a dunce look, as he had no idea what she was talking about. She was beautiful though. Wait, wrong thoughts!


Blinking, Falarion quickly came back to reality, as he remembered that Gigi had been fascinated by the fact that he was a wolf and from Australia of all places.


Feeling rather sheepish, Falarion didn't quite meet Gigi's eyes or look at her, as he felt awkward enough as it were. Regardless, he managed to find his voice as he said, "Well, I'm a maned wolf and my species is originally from South America. We're endangered though, so I actually was never born or even lived in South America. I was born in a wolf sanctuary in Australia."


Pausing, as he was unsure what else Gigi would want to know, Falarion fidgeted about in his seat, as he wondered if he should ask Gigi about herself, but then began worrying that she might somehow be offended by that.


@SilverFlight


Leandra followed after Gigi and the group, as they all exited the theater, only to be surprised when the fans outside began instantly screaming. While she should've expected it, Leandra was still frozen in place for a moment before Luness gently nudged her on the cheek to remind her to keep walking.


Shaking her head, Leandra then smiled at the fans around her and even grinned when she saw the way Gigi gave her fans autographs. Perhaps Leandra could get one at some point. Or she could borrow Xiao's 'ancient' camera and take an old instant shot of Gigi instead. That could be a better memory than just some autograph.


Just before Leandra entered the limo, she overheard Simon's comment about a big bird and Luness immediately opened her beak to angrily ask him what he meant by that, but Leandra quickly clamped Luness' beak shut with her own hand.


Glancing sideways, Leandra noticed the big bird nearby and found herself gaping, which Luness soon joined in on, before the two remembered they needed to get into the limo already.


Settling down inside with Luness comfortably resting in her lap, Leandra then glanced over at Simon and said with a grin, "That's bird's certainly the biggest one I've ever seen in person."


Shifting her gaze to the newcomer, Leandra then tilted her head to the side, looking at the newbie with a look of curiosity.


"Hey there, I'm Leandra and this is Luness. She's a phoenix. So, what's your name and what in the world is your companion's species?"


@zCrookedz @ManyFaces
 
Samantha looked at Leandra and her phoenix "Hello Leandra and Luness,my name is Samantha but you can call me Sam if it's easier" she said politely "Well Inkanis is a Terror bird and she lives up to her name...her kind was the top predator in SouthAmerica before they went extinct,so she is kind of cranky when people insult her as it is like an insult to her race but once we get to our destination you can ask her yourself,so about Luness and you are you albino or does Luness produce ice or something like it?" she asked,she wanted to get to know everyone


@Lioness075
 
Out of habit, Beth and Totus fell quiet in the cluster of people, listening passively. The followed readily when it was time to go. Beth struggled for a moment to get her glasses off magnification, and when she got them set right they were stepping out the door to the limo.


Totus churred nervously, and Beth automatically ducked her head. Flashes and shrieks surrounded them almost instantly. She went for the limo as quickly as propriety allowed. And all of the sudden, there was a giant, clearly hungry bird among them. Was it prehistoric? The girl with it seemed very friendly, and was apparently joining their team. Totus took a moment to ponder what her skill set was, as Beth slid through the limo door. She plopped down somewhere in the middle, not really next to anyone, when Falarion came to her, clearly worried. She followed his gesture to Manjano.


With her experience in search and rescue, she recognized the signs of panic almost immediately. Her heart clenched, and she almost got up instanly. But after the realizations of the day, the thought of being close to Manjano spurred a little panic of her own. There was no way she could handle it, and she was definitely not the best person. But when Falarion looked at her like that..


Totus clacked his beak loudly in her ear, as Falarion was called to Gigi's side. He had hopped down the the seat of the limo, and clearly had something (undoubtedly grumpy) to say. A single look from Beth silenced him. This wasnt something to be discussed.


Slowly, Beth moved to the corner that Manjano had retreated to. She kept her body unusually still, only making movements that were necessary to get near to him. "Manjano?" She said softly, her pitch much lower than normal. "Im coming to sit by you, Manjano. I do hope thats okay. I just want some company. Theres a lot of people out there and in here, and I could really use someone quiet to sit by. Just to sit, and breathe, and maybe talk a little if Im up to it. Like on the plane. " Beth kept speaking as she approached, unsure if he would even hear her. Very slowly, she sank onto the seat next to him. She was within arm's reach, but not in his personal space. She crossed her legs on the seat and faced him completely. Beth made an effort to keep her sentences shorter and simpler, but her mind was wandering. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Sometimes I get really, really scared. Youve already seen that. When that happens, I like breathe. Sometimes I put my arms on top of my head. And I love to think about things that I love. Things that make me forget the panic. Things like the sky, right when the sun first starts to come up. Or the way long grass ripples in the wind. Breathe in. The sound of Totus's wings where he flies. Most people cant even hear that, but I can. Breathe out. How light reflects off the surface of a lake. Bullfrogs, they croak so loud in the summer time. I remember them from when I was a kid. Breathe in. One of my favorite things to think about when I feel like things are spinning out of control is.. um.."


Beth gave her head a shake, as she lost her train of thought. She pressed a hand to her forehead, and then it came back to her. "The smell of fresh pine. Breathe out. Not the smell of Christmas trees. The smell of a pine forest when the sun comes out after a good spring rain. I think if life and peace had a smell, that would be it.. Fresh. Alive. Reborn.." She trailed off, and her hand left her lap uncertainly. She had an urge to reach out and take his hand, but he hated being touched and it might send him over the edge. Instead, she turned it over and rested her wrist on her knee, her hand extended to him on the very, very off chance he wanted it. "Manjano.. Youre safe here. With me. I know because.. well, because I feel safe with you. And thats not very common for me. I want to help you, Manjano. How can I?" Beth obviously didnt expect an answer, but she phrased the question to give herself a moment to think of something else to say. It was hard to focus, and now Totus was pushing against her mind, trying to convince her to leave him be and take care of herself first. She shoved him aside, even though she secretly shared his doubts about her choices.


@Lioness075
 
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As the limo rolled slowly onto the main street Gigi kept her attention firmly on her guests. Most of it however was on Falarion.


A wolf sanctuary? How interesting!


Duik made a flapping motion with a paw, hoping Falarion would catch the drift to ‘go on talking’.


@Lioness075


Alec had chosen to sit next to Xiao, seeing her original enthusiasm about the city he decided to share what he knew.


It’s such a beautiful place because none of the the big, modern buildings were allowed to be put up in the central part of the city. The business district is actually outside it.”


He pulled up a map on his phone. “Here, the old city is divided into blocks called ‘arrondissements’.” He tried to say the word with a French accent without much success. “The center of it all is this island in the middle of the river Seine called ‘l’ile de la Cite’, where the Notre Dame Cathedral was built.” He tapped the screen enthusiastically. He hadn’t spent that long in Paris, his father took him on a business trip once when he was sixteen. He and Duik had snuck out of the office and escaped to the old city. Alec had paid for that dearly, but it had been worth it.


We will zee all of it tomorrow!” Gigi said happily as she overheard. “Because I am taking you all on your own private tour!


Suddenly the car jerked to the right as it took an unexpected turn, tossing poor Duik off his seat and onto the carpeted floor.


Hey! Where’d your driver get his licence?” Duik asked, rubbing his chin after he picked himself up.


Calista put a paw to her ear, as if she was pressing a small speaker closer in. Which Alec concluded, was probably what she was doing.


We got company guys.” And Alec could see it. Four black cars sliding up to box them in and another two on the forward flanks.


What iz zis? I didn’t request extra protection. Lorenzo! Stop ze car. If zey think zey can bully me zey ‘ave got another thing coming!


Lorenzo didn’t stop the car. In fact he didn’t answer at all, because there was no one there. A computer program had been downloaded onto the limo’s autopilot and an outside force now had complete control.


Suddenly a rear window exploded inward and Gigi yelped, covering her face with a paw to protect it from the shatter glass that showered everyone on that side. A canister was shot in and in a few seconds it began spewing green gass.


Don’t breathe it in!” Calista roared.


Alec covered his mouth and nose and looked about wildly. They were under attack by unknown figures in the cars and their driver wasn’t responding. They needed a plan, and they needed one right now.


@everyone
 
Simon and Jimbo climbed into the Limo after Sam. Jimbo looked from the girl to Simon and held out his hand towards Simon. Simon reached into his pocket the best he could and dropped the gorillas iPod in his hand.


"Yes ma'am. His names Jimbo, don't let the his attitude foul you. He's really a big softie."


Simon nudged Jimbo with his arm, receiving a sideways glance from the ape as he slipped the earbud into one ear and began to flip around the screen with his thumb.


Simon stretched out his injured leg a few times before he retracting it once more. He couldn't tell if the serum from earlier was still working, he definitely could use a workout right now as opposed to all the sitting he had been doing recently. But the itching and the muscle spasms had stopped for now. On top of that, it seemed with every hour the pain from the leg seemed to dissipate a little more and more.


Simon let his arm rest on the tops of the seat while he listened to Leandra and Sam talk. When Sam asked about Leandra and Luness being Albino, Simon's eyes went a bit wider and he looked to Leandra quickly and then back to Sam.


"SO Samantha! How did you and uh Inkanis, get paired together. He doesn't seem like the kind of bird they would bring into the pairing ceremonies."


Simon knew how Leandra felt about the albino thing, and the last thing she would want to do is have a conversation about it.


Before Simon got a response, the limo began to jerk about and throw everyone around. Simon held on tight to the seat as he glanced out the window to see the four black cars beginning to move in on the limo. Simon looked to Jimbo, who had yanked the earbuds of his head and was looking out the window as well.


Suddenly the back window exploded and something came bouncing into the back seat. At the sound of Calista's voice, Simon yanked his shirt up over his mouth and dove for the smoke producing grenade. He scooped it up and tossed it right back out the window it had come in. Once what was left of the green smoke had dissipated, Simon removed his shirt from his mouth and looked to Jimbo.


"Something is up with the driver. Think you can drive a limo big guy?"


Jimbo nodded with a grunt and scooped up one of Simon's crutches. There wasn't a ton of room to move in the limo, so Jimbo could only thrust the crutch at the window that separated the driver from the occupants in hopes of smashing the window to reach the steering wheel and gain some sort of control over the crazed limousine.


@ManyFaces @Lioness075 @SilverFlight @DawnAntalios @andujarprime @Hel @Sleipnir @Flutterby
 
Bael was listening quietly to the conversations in the car along with silently judging Gigi's sense of fashion. He'd never been in a limo and now he was caught between disdain for the extravagance and enjoying it. The effect wasn't pleasant and made him feel a little hypocritical. But he pushed that away, and instead focused on the others. He was here, after all, to protect the poodle. Cedar had been right -- he did feel a little bad for his attitude toward her before; she really did seem very sweet. He was glad she appreciated his little Minnesota dialogue, and she seemed to be very kind. Not what he had expected from a pop star at all.


She also seemed very interested in Falarion, which he found to be pretty amusing. As far as he was concerned, Bael imagined that would be an odd coupling, but maybe a good one. But he was also convinced that Gigi's affections wouldn't last -- girls could be fickle beasts on those matters. He glanced across at Zoe then at Wednesday, but didn't get a chance to say anything to either of them.


That was when the chaos began. He had no problem holding his breath until the smoke bomb was basically rejected, to which he couldn't help but have a short laugh at the thought of how it must have looked from the outside. Then he went to the window, peering out to try and figure out what was going on. He pulled the whip handle out of his pocket but didn't extend it -- he wasn't sure why; he wasn't exactly thinking anymore. He couldn't quite tell what was going on and that was, to say the least, stressful. He looked back at the others, watching Jimbo. He wasn't sure there was anything he could do, but he couldn't help but focus on the glass in the floor as the limo jerked and people tried to poison them. He frowned, then looked at Gigi. "Is there -- do they have botanical stores nearby? I think I could probably use one of those soon. There's so much glass... People will probably get cut, so, you kno', we could probably use some -- a compress. Maybe marigold. Wouldn't want anyone to get an infection."


It was likely the least of their problems. After all, it wasn't as though they couldn't easier get Neosporin and bandages in the middle of one of the world's most well-known cities, but none of that had really even occurred to Bael. The combination of awkward RC driving and assault from the outside hadn't exactly done much to make him think clearly. So he had simply fallen to another, more well-developed instinct: remedying the immediate problems he could.


@SilverFlight @Anyone
 
Zoe's world collapsed the moment Gigi complimented her clothes. It was a disaster, a true calamity - she had devolved into a teenager girl. It was the unthinkable, unbelievable for her. She decided to get herself together and raising her thumb she decided to play along.


" Thank you, Miss Gigi, you rock! " she said, winking with a smile.


As they exited the building and walked towards their choice of transport - a limo by the looks of it - Zoe was stunned by the incredible amounts of fans the diva had. It was just unthinkable for her to be so madly in love with someone and she could never have imagined herself screaming and cheering for a person like this. As she eyed around she felt the venomous, envious looks on her back as the other fans jealousy almost vibrated in the air. She grinned, waving around invoking the ire of many around her. Eos gently whispered.


" You seem to be enjoying yourself. "


" Stop making sly remarks and play along. " she murmured as she feigned a girlish laughter. " We are out in the open, we need to be in a flawless disguise. "


Before they could finally board the car she noticed a strange duo joining them. It was a new girl, an agent by the looks of it, and she was accompanied by a... giant bird by the looks of it. She gazed at it, truly impressed, she had never seen a creature like this before that is for sure. She looked at the girl as they boarded and nodded.


" Well butter my biscuit, your companion is a cute one - and you are you! " she said, grinning " It is nice to meet ya, girl. The name is Zoe. " she said, winking at her. When they were inside of the limo and she made sure that no one could hear them her grin vanished, her face turning serious.


" Welcome to the team, Samantha. I am sure that with one more excellent agent this mission will be easily manageable. Let us hope that our journey will be devoid of acc- "


It was then when she got thrown out of her chair. The weird movement of the car was an indication of something ominous...


" I have a bad feeling about this.... "


Just then a canister of gas was thrown into their room. Immediately she shielded her nose from the probably toxic substance while she turned to Eos.


" Eos, on guard! " she spoke through her makeshift shelter " Try to cover your head, we don't know what this is. "


When the gas faded and Jimbo was trying to seize control over the car she looked up - finding a glass which could be opened from the inside, normally to wave at fans or just to admire the scenery. This time however it was a great spot for repelling their enemies. She wanted to reach for her bow - only to find it missing.


" What the- ? Eos where is my weapon? "


" Probably in the luggage as everything else. " he exclaimed " This is a stealth mission, remember? "


" Blast it, we are sitting ducks then. " she cursed. But then Bael pointed out that there were the remains of the shattered glass on the floor and her eyes lit up.


" Brilliant, Bael! " she exclaimed, trying to collect the larger shards from the floor while turning to Jimbo. " Try holding this maddened care straight, I want to try and greet our new friends. "


She forced the moonroof open as she slowly tried climbing halfway out, to see what they were up against. She saw the black cars surrounding them, knowing that they could have but one goal: abducting Gigi - and probably killing her followers in the process. That one was something Zoe did not plan to allow. Picking up the shards she had gathered from the floor she started barraging the car on the left. Knowing that these were not nearly as effective as the arrows she had she still planned to try and halt their advance. With a carefully aimed throw she managed to pierce the wheel of the car which started shifting left and right uncontrollably. The girl laughed triumphantly.


" That is what you get, scoundrels! " she said when she felt a burning pain in her left arm. Someone from the car behind her shot the girl with a strange pistol, the shot barely touched her but it inflicted a wound, leaving a searing pain behind. Seeing that despite her best efforts a new car was on their tail and that she had used up all her makeshift ammunition she pulled back in, gritting her teeth in pain.


" It was a trap all along. " she hissed, trying to hide her wound " Somehow they knew that we were coming... which means that someone must have set us up. "


Eos looked at her with a terrified expression.


" What are you talking about? Nobody would do such a thing! " he then glanced at her shoulders, spotting the injury. " Zoe, you are... "


She silenced him with a stare. They had no time for this, they needed to focus. She had to shake her head as her vision became blurry for a moment... she was sure that the shot was coated with something else...


" I am fine. Any ideas how we can get out of this mess? "


@ManyFaces @zCrookedz @Sleipnir @SilverFlight
 
Wednesday had kept silently listening to the others as she followed them out to the limo. She remembered riding in one to go to prom, but it was no where near this extravagant, and honestly couldn't really be called a limo compared to this one. She felt rather out of place here, but that didn't matter.


She'd heard Alec talking about the city and couldn't help but be fascinated. She loved history and old cities, she found the old architecture fascinating but so far they'd only seen the city in the dark. She stared out the window fairly intently and noticed some headlights from cars around them. At first she thought nothing of it- They were driving and traffic in this city was absurd and there was nothing suspicious about some cars driving on the road around them.


That was before the chaos started. The window shattered near her, and she tried holding her breath quickly. She got a small breath of the gas- enough to make her lungs burn and her eyes sting and water. Thankfully Simon tossed the canister back out quickly thinking on his feet. She found herself gasping for air after holding her breath for the gas to dissipate during the chaos. She wasn't sure how they could do much- they were trapped in a limo while those attacking had much more nimble cars that had to be easier to maneuver. She looked to Cerci to see what the moon bear thought of all of this. The bear seemed angry, and wanted to leap from the window to take out the other vehicles.


"Cerci, don't be brash." Wednesday warned, but the bear seemed to have a plan, if only she could fit through the moon roof... maybe the broken window? Cerci moved to knock away the broken glass, careful not to slice open her paws. How different from tree jumping could this be? If she could jump to one of the other cars, maybe she could get the jump on them. She couldn't drive, but she could figure something out.





"Anyone know what these guys actually want or are we all guessing?" Cerci called, positioning herself near the shattered window, ready to leap out towards the car that pulled up behind them.


@Whoevercares
 

Smiling, Xiao Hui liked hearing Leandra's optimism and her bell-like giggles, as she watched her eyes lit up in excitement and joy as she spoke about her passion. "No need to apologize when you're talking about something you love doing. Especially when it comes to camera, I hadn't realized how many different cameras there were. I'm afraid I'm not skilled in that section, so, Miss Photographer," she teased her, "will you be taking our pictures one day, with the whole team, perhaps? You, have to be in it, of course." Xiao Hui grinned and winked at her. Realizing she was whispering, Xiao Hui laughed slightly to herself, noticing that Leandra seemed confused but went along with her anyways. Nevertheless, she nodded when she heard the words "scars", but pondered a little on what to say, "Scars. . are interesting things. We can either dwell on the negative of the scar or remember the positive about it. In our case, perhaps it's a bit of both, but at the same time, because of your scar, you did an admirable thing. But, don't make it a habit." She frowned slightly, not liking that she was injured so much, "I think your scars should be considered. . . beautiful, if not, amazing. You've fought well and because of it, you're alive, right?" Xiao Hui said, tilting her head, grinning. She hoped she made sense of what she had said. It had been awhile since she encouraged someone just because she wanted to. However, her thoughts were taken away when Leandra's asked if she knew french too. Giggling slightly, Xiao Hui nodded, "Yes. . I had Laohu learn French with me because well. . Father said it was good to be multi-lingual just in case we had visitors from other countries or if we visit other countries." She told her, however, had an idea, "If you'd like, I can teach you some French, it may help later on if a French male would want to have a rendez-vous with you?" Xiao Hui grinned widely, teasing her, but she meant everything she said. Leandra was definitely a beautiful girl, despite the scars she and her brother had gotten from either the battle prior or from their past.


Looking over at Zoe, she smiled softly at her, before turning to Leandra,
"I'll be right back." Moving over to Zoe, she grinned, "Many opportunites? I sure hope so, I've grown rather tired of just reading it from books or hearing stories from others. Though, perhaps it won't be on an pleasant journey when we visit different countries, but it's still something, right?" She asked Zoe, not really expecting an answer, until she heard a soft whisper coming from Zoe's voice. Xiao Hui was clearly surprised as she blinked, not knowing what to say. She reminded Zoe of her sister? But the way she speaks of her. . . Xiao Hui shook her head, not wanting to ask Zoe painful questions and memories as she contined listening to her speak, her gentle voice in the air. Giggling slightly, Xiao Hui nodded at the vigilant and strong woman before her, but before leaving her to herself, Xiao Hui chimed in, "But we are just little girls. . childish at heart, we can still remain and keep that part of us. Can't we? It's not a sign of weakness, well to me, it is not. I'm glad you can keep your promises and take it to heart, not many are like you anymore." She said solemnly as she gave Zoe a small smile and patted her shoulder gently. Soon, Xiao Hui stood by herself as she watched the others talk to Gigi, letting her thoughts plague her mind.


Laohu chuckled, hearing the overly excited and cheerfulness of the French poodle-leopard in front of him.
"Oui, Elle est élégant mais, toi aussi." He grinned, as he looked on at the Falarion and Gigi. However as Gigi complimented Laohu and looked over at her, she blushed slightly, whispering, "Merci, ma chere. Enchante." Turning back towards Gigi, Laohu smiled, liking how amicable the celebrity was being with his partner and teammates. Walking back to Xiao Hui, he sat by her side, nuzzling against her waist. Soon enough, she started heading out towards the doors where everyone would be. Before getting into the limo, Laohu paused in his step as he heard a new girl's voice. Xiao Hui looked to where he was looking at until her eyes caught sight of a huge, terror bird. Her eyes widened immensely, not out of fear, but out of pure curiosity and excitement. "So this is what Agent Darcy meant by being shocked. Shocking indeed." She exclaimed to only she and Laohu could hear, however, on the other hand, Laohu noticed the human companion, Samantha, was it? Looking at him with slight interest as she looked at his fur. He bowed slightly towards the two as Xiao Hui waved towards them, "Welcome to the team. We were expecting you." She said smiling, as she made her way inside the limo with the rest of them.


As she got inside the limo, Xiao Hui looked up as Alec sat next to her. She listened intently as Alec went on about the city, enjoying the new found facts of Paris she hadn't know about. Looking over his shoulder as Alec looked up the map of the place, as he attempted to say ‘arrondissements' with a French accent. Xiao Hui resisted the urge to laugh, but instead giggled loudly,
"It was a good try," she encouraged him, "as long as you're open-minded about it, you will get the hang of it. I can also teach you French, if you'd like as well?" She offered him as Xiao Hui continued on listening and seeing where Alec was pointing on the math. "Notre Dame? I would like to see the Cathedral, I heard it was a MUST have place to go and see, next to l'ile de la Cite. Do you like the Old Buildings better than the new, modern, ones?" She asked curiously, for herself personally, she loved the ancient architectures and buildings that have been there for centuries. However, before she knew it, they were being ambushed by four cars barricading them in the middle. Soon the rear window shattered inside the car, as Xiao Hui covered her mouth along with Laohu. Soon the shattered glasses were everywhere, cutting arms, necks, and faced. Jimbo had gone to the front, Bael suggested getting something from the botanical stores, as Zoe looked ahead on the moonroof only to come down, bleeding. Her eyes widened at the sight of blood. "Zoe, are you alright?" She asked quickly as she thought of something, shouting out. "Eyes, we need eyes outside. Beth, can you use your glasses to see and track how many is in what car from the radiation, x-ray visions, etc.? Luness and Totus, will you go up and see what else we're dealing with? Jimbo, we need to get Bael to a botanical place to get this poison out and some other medical equipments. Alec, can you shoot the glasses of the cars surrounding us and tires? They have guns too, so be careful. Falarion, Duirk, Calista, stay with Gigi. Everyone else, arms ready and be prepared to fight." She hoped that was enough as she looked towards Rin, Wednesday, Leandra, Manjano, Samantha, Zoe, and Simon. "If they jump in or we jump into the next, we need to be ready to get them down before everyone else is distracted. So, two people to each person, is that enough?" Her eyes looked around frantically. Laohu looked up at Xiao Hui worriedly, seeing her hands shaking slightly, "We need to lose those other cars, quickly. Do we have explosions of anything like that?" Hearing Cerci's question, he answered, "It is quite a lot for Gigi. . Unless they knew we were coming. ."

@SilverFlight @Sleipnir @andujarprime @Hel @Lioness075 @ManyFaces @zCrookedz @Flutterby @DawnAntalios
 
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