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Post by Rad on Jul 23, 2011 21:16:36 GMT -8
The sun was setting, casting a picturesque pink glow over the Veritas estate as Adrasteia finished setting the table on the balcony overlooking the rose labyrinth. Despite the season being summer, the temperature had been unexpectedly pleasant all day and accordingly his young master had requested that they enjoy their meal outside to the accompaniment of soothing violin music under the tapestry of the night sky above. Of course, when it had come to arranging everything, Memini just had to be excessively extravagant and employ an entire string orchestra for the night despite there being no guests for them to impress. He had also instructed the household cooks to prepare a glorious banquet that would almost certainly go to waste unless he would somehow inexplicably feel charitable enough to allow his employees and servants to join him in the feast. Oh well, perhaps Sabrina would be capable of convincing him to ignore the restrictions of social norms and thereby make it possible for everyone to enjoy that night’s dinner.
Speaking of Sabrina, the volume of music coming from her room had been rather audaciously loud for a significant portion of the day. It was so to the extent that he could actually distinguish the words of the vocalist and notes of the accompanying background music as he walked past the suite on his errands. He had made some attempts at calling her name and had even endeavored to knock on her door a couple of times, all to no avail. Whether she simply couldn’t hear him above the music or was purposefully ignoring him he couldn’t be sure. He wondered if she was going through a rebellious stage. Oh that really would be disastrous! Memini was enough of a headache already. Lately, however, he had astonished everyone by obediently complying with the stringent regime of lessons drafted by Mr. Matthews. Surprisingly, the lessons were proving effective for once since the respect his young master held for Sabrina’s father meant that he actually made an attempt to impress. There was none of that cheeky back-talk, blatant disobedience or obstinate refusal to correct mistakes that was the way he handled lessons both at school and when Adrasteia had taught him.
As a limousine pulled into the driveway, Adrasteia was flabbergasted by the identity of the passenger. Hadn’t the driver said that Sabrina had returned from her shopping spree a few hours ago? Well, perhaps she had forgotten something and had departed for the shopping district again when he was still too preoccupied with his errands to notice. Certainly this would explain the lack of response that had greeted him when he had tapped at her door. Finishing what he was doing, Adrasteia waved at Sabrina before he retreated into the room. However, this was all prior to the exit of the other passenger from the car and as such Adrasteia failed to notice both the handcuffs and the dodgy character that soon appeared at Sabrina’s side. “Remind me, whose mansion this is.” Smile laughed, gazing in awe at the exquisite establishment which towered majestically in front of him. “Should I consider the owner o’ this prime piece of land to be my love rival?”
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Post by Wolfy on Jul 24, 2011 10:57:32 GMT -8
Glancing up at Smile, Sabrina looked very serious. “Look, Smile, you are not a love interest of mine,” she told him honestly. The fact was that she just didn’t see him like that. They might share a friendship, yes, but not a romantic relationship. But, so she didn’t seem heartless, she added a few more reason. “You’re nice, yes, but you’re quite a bit older than me, and we are different races. Haven’t you heard those stories of what they do to people in interracial relationships?”
Sighing, Sabrina pulled Smile toward the house. “Anyway, this is the Veritas mansion,” she told him. “Memini Veritas is currently giving me a place to stay so I can keep out of the slums.” She stepped inside, realizing how hard this would be to explain. How many people had needed to explain why they were handcuffed to a mobster, so had to bring him to dinner? Very few, she guessed. She stepped into the foyer and waited for Adrasteia to see that she’d brought this man back, showing him where they all lived.
Mere seconds after she entered, her father and step-mother walked toward the stairs from the second story. They both looked down at her, and instantly noticed the chain between her and Smile. Blushing, Sabrina knew that she was in for a lot of questions. “Uh, Sabrina…?” started her father. “Who is he?” She could see him working through different scenarios in his mind that could possibly have ended his daughter up chained to a heavily bleeding Chinese man such as Smile.
“Well…” said Sabrina. “It’s kind of a long story… You see-” Doing her best to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t involve Smile being arrested, Sabrina’s voice faded away. She didn’t want Smile to be arrested, because that would inevitably end up with his death. "I was downtown, when I was suddenly surrounded by all of these guys. I guess they thought that I was rich, and could steal money from me."
"Anyway, to threaten me, they handcuffed me. Soon after, they also caught him, and handcuffed him to me." She followed his gaze to Smile's hand. "Well, they were about to do something terrible, when he saved us both by grabbing the man's knife and helping me escape. But it cut up his hand, and... Well, we ran back here as soon as we could."
She knew her story would be blown out of the water once Adrasteia saw him. She didn't know how to convince him that Smile wasn't a threat to them, but at least no one would be calling the police on him for the time being.
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Post by Rad on Jul 24, 2011 18:06:47 GMT -8
“That may be ya mindset for the present but who’s ta say ya won’t alter ya state of mind in future? Five years from now the age difference won’t be such a significant factor anymore.” He smiled, rejection just wasn’t an option, he would continue with his endeavor to win her heart no matter what. “Besides, circumstances in this world are forever changing so there’s a first time for everything. Who knows? Ya might even come to love me if we spend more time together.”
Following Sabrina into the mansion, Smile gazed in awe at the extravagance of the place, enchanted by the grandeur the interior exuded. Of course, it wasn’t like he had never entered the premises of a large estate before. In fact, his Boss was in possession of a similarly sized mansion yet he couldn’t deny that the atmosphere of the two was altogether quite dissimilar. Whereas his Boss’ residence had a certain imposing gloom the Veritas household practically shone with some sort of intangible radiance. To tell the truth, it was breathtaking!
After listening to Sabrina’s explanation of their situation, he grinned. It was evident she liked him enough to not hand him over to the police. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of elation at that. Bowing respectfully to her parents, he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. & Mrs Matthews. My name is Smile and although my actions were really not quite as heroic, I assure you I shall put my life on the line to ascertain the safety of your daughter.”
---
As was to be expected as a consequence of that day’s lessons, the encyclopedias, novels and picture books had been scatted all over the place again. How did his young master even imagine that he would be able to find his books again if he never bothered to return them to their proper spot? Well, possibly because he had a butler to take care of the matter and accordingly, Adrasteia was once more preoccupied with the task of reorganizing the library when he heard the maids gossiping about the ‘charming foreigner’ who had apparently rescued the young lady Sabrina from grave danger. Intrigued, he ceased what he was doing and made his way to the hall.
However, upon perceiving the familiar figure perched on the rim of the fountain surrounded by a group of the household’s inquisitive servants (and looking annoying smug), the butler instantly froze in his tracks. An expression of malevolent rage clouded his face and despite his attempts to guise his wrath, his displeasure was still quite obvious as he stalked over to the group. “Sabrina, what is the meaning of this? I would have thought you had more sense than to disclose our location to a villain! Well, I see from the handcuffs that you’ve apprehended him. Well then, have you notified the authorities?”
“Villain?” Smile smirked, “such a polite (evident sarcasm) way of addressing the one who responsible for saving your charge from peril. Besides, what authorities? I’m here as a guest.”
“Sabrina, think about your parents! How would your father react if he knew what this pedophile did to you on that previous occasion? He’ll probably have a heart attack! What were you thinking, bringing this mongrel in here? He’s contaminating my sparkling floor with his filthy blood.” Purposefully ignoring the mobster, Adrasteia pointed out the splatters of blood scattered in an inconsistent line from the entrance to roughly Smile’s current location. His words were scathing, although the insults were directed more at the foreigner than at Sabrina.
“Your floor? Ha! Don’t make me laugh! You’re only a butler. What right do you have to reprimand Sabrina like that?” Smile retorted, placing a protective arm around Sabrina. His hands were properly bandaged now so he didn’t have to worry about leaving stains on her apparel. As Adrasteia’s complexion reddened in outrage he also realized that he had hit a sensitive topic with that last comment. Judging from this butler guy’s attitude he had probably held more influence at one point. Deciding to rub salt onto the wound, Smile continued, “Isn’t it your duty as a SERVANT to tend to my every wish since I’m the guest?”
However, before Adrasteia could respond, Memini had seemingly materialized from nowhere, a curious expression on his face. Running up to them and using the momentum to forcefully shove Adrasteia aside, he confronted Sabrina, gazing intently at the handcuffs. “What did Adrasteia mean by ‘pedophile’? What did this guy force you to do?” There was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he voiced these inquiries. Despite being a boy, Memini loved gossip and scandal as much as the stereotypical housewife.
OoC: Not sure if you wanted Sabrina’s parents to overhear this conversation so I didn’t mention them. They can either still be there or not be there. I’m fine with either option.
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Post by Wolfy on Jul 24, 2011 21:15:05 GMT -8
The second she saw Adrasteia, Sabrina knew shew as in trouble. He looked positively furious! She was positive that he would reprimand her for the mistake - not that it was even her fault! As he began speaking, she began to tear up just a little. She respected him so much, and here he was, yelling at her without even hearing the whole story! "Adrasteia, it wasn't my fault!" she said. "I was kidnapped! And then the driver-"
However, she was interrupted by Smile, being smug once again. Once he finished, she again tried to defend herself, but Adrasteia wouldn't give her a moment to get another word in. Sighing and looking down, Sabrina wondered what her father would say if Adrasteia told him what Smile was really like. "No, Adrasteia, it isn't like that!" she said.
As Memini came running up, Sabrina let out a long sigh. She was sure Memini wouldn't help the situation. She was so furious at that point, she actually reflexively lifted her hand to strike him on the cheek. Luckily, though, the handcuff prevented her from actually hitting him. "Nothing, Memini," she growled. "Get your mind out of the gutter! Adrasteia is just jumping to conclusions."
During their little argument, her father had made his way down the stairs and walked up behind Memini. Standing tall and proud from the way he imagined Sabrina handling being kidnapped by ruffians, he had no idea what he was stepping in to. "What is going on, Adrasteia," he asked in an almost regal voice. Sabrina recognized that voice. It was his subtle way of talking to his subordinates when he was angry or disappointed in them.
"Don't tell me that you're harassing the man who saved my daughter's life," he continued. Sabrina bit her lip and looked down. Adrasteia would tell him for sure, and he would be so disappointed in her for getting involved with someone like Smile.
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Post by Rad on Jul 24, 2011 23:59:48 GMT -8
OoC: Poisson is French for ‘fish’ but in this instance Adrasteia is purposefully mispronouncing it so that it would sound more like ‘poison’.
“Good evening, Sir. I assure you that the situation is not what it seems. I was merely asking Sabrina’s ‘savior’ if he would like me to prepare him a dish of the finest viande de poisson for dinner. Yet lacking an education in French he had to misconstrue my hospitality for some sort of threat.” Adrasteia lied. Sure, he would love to see the scoundrel arrested by the authorities but he had Sabrina’s reputation to consider. Judging from Memini’s reaction, it was palpable that a number of distasteful rumors would spread regarding her virtue and chastity if he disclosed Smile’s true nature and occupation. He couldn’t allow that to happen to her, after all, he now felt responsible for both her and Memini. Perhaps an opportunity would arise later for him to dispose of the mobster.
“Haha, I believe your butler is mistaken, Mr. Matthews. I simply told him I wasn’t interested in French cuisine since I suspect there to be something fishy going on in the preparation of raw seafood. There have been many tales of the misfortunate victims of incorrectly prepared viande de poisson and I’ll rather not entrust my life to the culinary skills of a mere butler.” Smile returned the jab as he spoke to Sabrina’s father as if the butler weren’t in the room. “Of course, he had to react by being overly defensive which gets me to wondering if he didn’t have an ulterior motive after all.”
Resisting the urge to strangle the villain, Adrasteia turned to fix Smile with an intense glare. He was so livid he was lacking the ability to articulate the multitude of insults he wished to fling at the criminal. Yet perhaps this was for the better since there were still youngsters present and it certainly wasn’t an advisable thing to blow his top in front of an authoritative a figure as Sabrina’s father. Thus, the only alternative was for Adrasteia to convey his loathing via the eyes.
“Ha! That gaze of yours is truly deadly! Pity looks can’t kill, right, ol’ buddy?” Smile smirked, provoking Adrasteia. Oh this was so much fun! Oh he must appear so smug to the butler! Tilting his head, he watched Adrasteia with a haughty grin on his face. Hah, the butler must be so annoyed that he wasn’t even taking this conflict seriously!
“…Such immature behavior from the both of them.” Memini muttered to Sabrina, still irked that the reply to his inquiries had been so disappointing. Every so often, his eyes would return to the pair of handcuffs. Its presence fascinated him. Surely there was more to this than could be superficially conceived. Both Sabrina’s tone when she had answered him and the fact that Adrasteia now appeared to be hiding something from Mr. Matthews had to mean that something outrageous had transpired between the stranger and Sabrina, right? Hey…wasn’t that face familiar? Hadn’t he seen it somewhere before?
“AH! You’re that mobster that tried to kill us!” Memini exclaimed pointing at Smile now that he had finally been struck by an epiphany. Oh, so the thing that Smile had done to Sabrina was threaten her with a knife and Adrasteia was hiding this fact so that Mr. Matthews wouldn’t know how much Adrasteia had failed as their protector! It all made sense now! Of course! Sabrina was far too refined and virtuous to commit anything indecent! The whole ‘scandal’ was simply about that time they had ‘died’.
Looking at Adrasteia who was now glowering at him in warning, Memini retaliated with a defiant stare, declaring, “What? You just don’t want me to tell because you don’t want Mr. Matthews to know how much you failed as our protector.” Of course, he had absolutely no idea how severe the situation was and was merely causing a ruckus in the hope that Mr. Matthews would congratulate his (in his opinion) ‘brilliant’ detective work. Oh he really was intent on impressing the famous businessman! Having an immense interest in economics, Memini had always greatly idolized those who had had phenomenal success in the economy and until the Depression had hit, Sabrina’s father was certainly a man who enjoyed unparalleled success.
In his eagerness Memini was, for the most part, quite oblivious to the fact that he was ruining everything.
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Post by Wolfy on Jul 25, 2011 18:43:35 GMT -8
Sabrina really couldn’t be happier with Adrasteia’s help in covering up the reality of the situation. Her father was buying it entirely. He even was giving a little smirk at Adrasteia for the humorous mispronunciation of ‘Poisson’. “A pity, sir,” he said to Smile. “The fish here is exquisite, along with all the other foods that come from that kitchen.” He paid close attention to the remainder of their conversation, curiously observing their hidden fight.
Mr. Matthews clapped a hand on the man’s shoulder with a little grin. “Adrasteia, my friend,” he said. “Take it easy. You know that you’re more than just a mere butler.” He thought that’s what the whole fight was about. Sabrina, glad that he was in the dark, smiled and watched the conversation play out. She glanced over at Memini, still smiling. There was no possible way he could mess this up as well. He had to know that he should just play along.
But, of course, she had forgotten to take into account that it was Memini she was thinking of. The second he said his first word, Sabrina knew what was coming. She let out a soft grumble and looked down, wishing the floor would just open up and swallow her up. She felt her father’s gaze slowly shift from Adrasteia to her. When her father got angry, he didn’t ever explode in an angry rage – it was more like a cold winter’s wind.
“Sabrina?” he asked. “Is that true? Is this man a mobster who threatened to kill you?” Sabrina nodded slowly. “And you brought him here?” Again, she nodded. Her father’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m guessing you didn’t call the authorities?” This time, it was a head shake. “So you endangered us all by bringing him here with you and showing him where live! What if he decides to bring his associates back with him one night?” He paused, and Sabrina looked up to meet his gaze. “We will discuss this later.”
Quickly turning to Adrasteia, he resumed his speech. “And you,” he said. “If I hear your master correctly, you allowed this to happen! Where did you take these children that they could possibly be exposed to the Mafia under your charge?” He didn’t understand the situation at all. Why would either Adrasteia or his daughter try to hide that fact from him? And why were they defending him, and trying to harbor him from justice? He certainly hoped that the butler and Sabrina weren’t aligned with them in any way.
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Post by Rad on Jul 25, 2011 19:45:53 GMT -8
Memini was exceedingly satisfied with himself! Not only had he exposed the conspiracy between Adrasteia and Sabrina but he had finally avenged himself of that unpleasant prank they had made him a victim of. With a pompous swagger, he was about to retreat from the chaos which would inevitably unfold when a firm hand lashed out and forcefully dragged him back by the collar, half choking him in the process. Turning to his apprehender in disdain, Memini shuddered at the sight of the malevolent expression on Smile’s face as he glared at him. Terrified, he obediently sat down and meekly turned his gaze to the checkered marble floor.
Meanwhile, Adrasteia’s complexion had become rather pale, and in accordance with household regulations was now on his knees with his head bowed in a display of submission. Sure, Mr. Matthews was only a guest yet his presence was more imposing than that of the Veritas heir himself. He was an individual whose very essence demanded respect and compliance, and as a butler Adrasteia was in no position to challenge him. He didn’t blame Sabrina for telling the truth, he knew it was impossible for one as innocent as her to lie, no matter what the consequences of voicing the truth may be.
Nonetheless, this didn’t prevent him from wishing that she had kept the reality of the situation a secret from her father. It might have been easy to convince Mr. Matthews that Memini was the one who was mistaken. Furthermore, although this entire predicament, (including that humiliating defeat at the Lillington Bank Auction) had all been Memini’s fault, as an adult Adrasteia was obligated to take responsibility for all that had happened. It was far too late to lie now, principally since attempting to refute Memini’s allegations would only be worsening his apparent ‘treachery’ now that Sabrina had confirmed those facts. Why did he feel like a traitor standing trial before a supreme emperor?
Unable to meet the businessman’s eyes, Adrasteia gazed at the floor as he replied, “Sir, my sincere apologies for my negligence. We were at the Lillington Bank Auction of…your former property when I lost sight of Sabrina. Please, don’t punish her as this isn’t her fault; this was all the result of my inattention and inability to guess that the mafia would take an interest in your former estate. Today, I foolishly chose not to reveal the reality of the situation to you since I was confident that I could resolve it without inconveniencing you in that way. I also failed to inform you of what had transpired at the auction since I had not anticipated that it would hold any relevance in the future. I didn’t want you to worry unnecessarily but in retrospect I realize I have not dealt with the situation as I should have. However, it was my decision alone and none of this has anything to do with the children so please do not punish them for my mistakes.”
However, at being excluded from the conversation, Smile was feeling increasingly irked. He felt he had to contribute to the conversation in some way or another. Particularly since Adrasteia wasn’t even endeavoring to defend him and thus he opened his mouth, “Pardon me, Sir, however the butler is forgetting that I have no intention of harming your daughter. Your location will not be disclosed to my associates and in fact they don’t even have a fight to pick with any of you at all. They probably don’t even know any of you exist. Furthermore, if I had wanted to kill your daughter I would have done so when she and I were alone together in that dark crate.”
Of course, with that last sentence Smile had probably made things worse. What on earth were the two doing alone together in a dark crate that would make Sabrina arrive home so late? Memini sure wanted to know! Poor Sabrina, the misunderstanding was deepening!
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Post by Wolfy on Jul 25, 2011 20:59:17 GMT -8
Sabrina's father listened intently to Adrasteia's explaination and nodded slowly. "Alright," he said softly. "I understand." He glanced back at Smile to hear his promise to keep their location a secret. With sigh of relief, he decided that there really wasn't much harm done.
Mr. Matthews had been close to calming down until Smile did the stupid thing and mentioned their time trapped in that crate together. "Oh, Smile," she sighed, looking down at the marble floor under her feet. Why was she stuck with people who were continually ruining things for her.
Of course, her father would ask the obvious question. "And what, exactly, were you doing in that crate, Sabrina?" he asked, each word very deliberate as he spoke. He really looked angry now. He automatically assumed the worst. He was so frustrated - first his wife dies, then his business goes under, and now this? What else could happen to him?
"Nothing," she answered honestly. "It was an accident that we were even there." This just seemed to anger him more, though. Of course he wouldn't take that so quickly.
"Sabrina, I have worked too hard for too long to have our family reputation ruined by you!" he said seriously. "Now you had better tell me the truth so no one here thinks that I raised a liar!" Now that hurt. She couldn't believe that he thought she was lying about something like that.
"I am not lying," she said back. "You shouldn't even need to ask about that." Her father eventually nodded slowly and backed off a little. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to find a way out of these handcuffs. Not that any of you would want to help..."
Angrily, she pulled her wrist forward toward the door, since he would follow. She was so angry that her own father didn't take her word seriously the first time. Had she ever made a habit out of lying? No!
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Post by Rad on Jul 26, 2011 2:14:22 GMT -8
“You’re sure nothing happened between you two?” Memini inquired, trailing after Sabrina and Smile as they made their exit. He was dissatisfied with the truth! He desperately grasped at straws as he pondered the various possibilities. He needed the situation to produce some sort of material for scandalous gossip! “Come on, Sabrina, you can trust me! I promise to keep it confidential!” There was an impish glimmer in his eyes. No logical person would ever have faith in the boy’s ability to keep things hush-hush. He was simply too much of an incurable gossip-monger.
“If Sabrina says nothing happened, then nothing happened.” Smile stated coldly, fixating Memini with a chilling glare. That shut him up, and with a demure wave, the youngster left them alone, returning his attention to the figure of Adrasteia who was still awaiting the announcement of some sort of punishment from Mr. Matthews. “What form of discipline are you going to employ, Mr. Matthews, Sir?” Memini inquired, grinning cheekily as he tugged at the businessman’s coat.
“Allow me to remove those handcuffs for you, milady.” Smile said exaggerating Adrasteia’s sophisticated tone until it became almost pompous. With a flourish, he removed a Swiss army knife from his pockets and proceeded to dismantle the cuffs, beginning with the part that detained Sabrina’s hand. Once he had liberated her, he began fiddling with his own, although this was significantly harder since he could only apply one hand in freeing his other one. When the handcuffs finally came apart, he allowed the pieces of metal to cascade onto the floor with a faint clinking sound. Of course, he wouldn’t throw away the keys if he didn’t know an alternative way of opening the locks. He wasn’t the type to adhere to capricious whims without first devising a plan in case anything happened. However, he had to admit it was a good thing he hadn’t lost the helpful multi-tool when he had tripped back at the abandoned quay.
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Post by Wolfy on Jul 26, 2011 14:03:31 GMT -8
Sabrina was about to turn around and slap Memini for real until Smile gave him a glare instead. That seemed to shut him up well enough. So without even turning to look at her friend, she just continued on her way. She was still seething from everything that had happened inside. How could they all think that she had done anything with Smile?
They all seemed to have forgotten that she had been kidnapped, and hadn’t gone willingly with him in the first place. None of them even asked if she was okay! They were more interested in if there was any scandal or gossip to be found in the situation. It made her sick that no one trusted her to stay honest about what had and had not happened there – not even her own father, who always taught her that she should never lie, so that people would trust her word.
As the cuff released her wrist, Sabrina let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks,” she mumbled, rubbing her sore wrist. When he got them off his own wrist, she bent down and picked them up for him. “Why don’t you get these out of here?” she suggested, placing the handcuffs back in his hand. “If you don’t, I’m sure Memini will just make a nuisance of himself with it.” She sighed and started off toward the back entrance of the mansion.
“I would suggest that you leave now,” she said honestly. “But I don’t really care.” Without saying anything else, she walked into the service entrance and up the servant’s staircase, to avoid any unneeded attention. Luckily, no one was there since they were all still in the foyer after the argument. So she slipped into her room and locked the door.
Meanwhile, Sabrina’s father was still speaking to Adrasteia and Memini inside. He glanced over at his pupil as he strode into the mansion, but then sighed when he asked what punishment he would give to Adrasteia. “I don’t think it’s really your place to ask,” he said honestly. “What I decide is between me and him, wouldn’t you agree?” He glanced at Adrasteia and gave him a diminutive headshake, which was his way of silently telling him there would be no repercussions. Things had been bad enough already.
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