For once, Kurama was almost glad his powers were restrained. At least like this, he was certain that if a harsh word from Russell did manage to snap through his restraints, he wouldn't be able to beat the boy to death with just his fists before he got a hold of himself.
Turning away again, Kurama entered the bathroom and went straight to the sink. The water ran cool over his hands as he tried to wash the blood away, scrubbing his skin mercilessly. It took nearly a minute, but even after the last of the red tint had been washed down the drain, Kurama could still remember the feel of the body in his hands. Gripping the edge of the sink, the he took a deep breath, muffled by the sound of the running water. Nothing would make this better, but the thought of visiting justice on Kuronue's murderer was enough to give him a handle on things. Revenge was something to work towards, something he could deal with instead of feeling helpless. He concentrated on that.
Turning the water off, Kurama caught the tail end of Russell's question. It was a valid one, one that Kurama was still trying to find an answer to. He wiped his hands dry against his pants as he exited the bathroom.
"Hide, for now," he said simply as he came to a stop behind the couch that Russell was seated on. He didn't feel much calmed than a moment ago, but he had a goal now--something to focus on. Survival and revenge.
"We should head to my room first to gather the food I have stored there. If this experiment only remains in effect for one week, the rations will be enough for the both of us. As for our bunker... Your room would be a safer choice, considering mine shares a wall with the Biodome. I would rather not run the risk this week of being caught in someone else's crossfire."
He hadn’t really expected a response from the red head. That he could think so calmly, so rationally in the face of not just Kuronue’s death but the chaos going on around them was nothing short of astounding. Russell always seemed to let his temper get away with him, often ending up putting his foot in his mouth. Just like what he’d said to Kurama a few moments ago but the man seemed content to let it go.
“Hide?” He sighed quietly, isn’t that just what he’d said he didn’t want to do? But, really, he didn’t have much of a choice. None of them did. He stood, nodding slowly but refusing to meet Kurama’s eyes. He should apologize for what he’d said, say something to try to comfort the red head but it was not something he did often or well. What could he possibly say after that? Kurama should’ve punched him but now was instead offering to help him. “You’re right. The further we are from the biodome the better, really.”
Russell didn't seem pleased with the plan to hide, but Kurama had no intention of doing anything else. Without his demon abilities, he could only rely on his martial arts, and that certainly wouldn't be enough to defend himself or Russell from anyone with a black collar.
"Further would be nice, but I would rather not trust a room to remain empty if it belongs to someone else." Worst case scenario, they could waltz right into one of the black collars' rooms without even realizing it.
Moving around the couch, Kurama moved past Russell to the door, then paused to look back. The blond boy wasn't the only one feeling a little guilty for hasty words. They had both witnessed something gruesome, and with the fear and chaos humming through the air, tensions were high. Tempers were bound to be brushed the wrong way, but it was better to move past it than dwell on it.
"I apologize for my words a few minutes ago. I know that was something horrible to witness for the both of us, and it wasn't my intention to snap at you." He couldn't bring himself to force a smile yet, but his words were sincere.
Russell dropped his gaze, letting has bangs hide his face as he fought to get his expression under control. Kurama had nothing to apologize for. He was the one who’d been a jerk first.
“Forget it. I…” He took a deep breath and finally met the red head’s gaze, offering as apologetic a look as he could muster. “I started it.” He looked away quickly, guilt making him unwilling to keep eye contact. Apologies were just something his pride didn’t often permit.
“Let’s just…” He glanced to the side, to that little red smear that bled out from under the door and shuddered slightly. “… get out of here.”
Kurama didn't follow Russell's gaze. He knew well enough where the blond was looking, and he didn't care to be reminded of that again. The memory more than fresh enough for that.
With the same level of stealth and care as before, Kurama opened the suite door. There were no footsteps, no people. Everything was still as eerily quiet as before. Regardless of the fact that it was the middle of the night, it was unsettling as he led Russell down to Suite 30.
It didn't take long to gather the food that he had stored away. There was enough nutrition bars, fruit, bags of chips, and bottles of water to last them for the week. Kurama pulled the pillow case off of his pillow and began loading it up. He also yanked the sheets off of his bed, folded them up, and handed them to Russell. The pillows he carried himself, along with one of the two pillow cases full of food supplies. He grabbed a few extra clothes as well, before finally leaving the room. He had no intention of coming back until next week... So long as this experiment was over by then.
Returning to Suite 25 was likewise uneventful, given that they were practically across the hall from one another. For that, Kurama was grateful. It would have been suicide to venture any further than this. Slipping into the suite, Kurama waited for Russell. It was his room, not Kurama's, even if the redhead had been there not even a day ago. It felt more comfortable to let Russell go first than to simply barge in.
Russell slumped against the suite door for a moment, relieved to be back in some semblance of safety. He was a fool to have left at all. With a heavy sigh he pushed away from the door, moving to open the door to his room.
“It’ll be a little cramped…” He said quietly, gesturing to the corner of the room. The entire area between the foot of the bed and the desk was boxed in, soil from the biodome filling the space and plants all but overflowing it. He dumped the blankets and food on the bed, quickly moving to the desk which was a mess of papers and notebooks. “I guess we’ll just have to make due until the week’s out…” He stacked up his notes, jamming things into drawers to make room. “I… I’m sorry about your friend.” He finally said quietly, focusing his attention on what he was doing. He didn’t know what else to say but, especially after the argument he’d had with Kuronue earlier, it didn’t seem right to just… leave things as they were.
"That's fine," Kurama replied to Russell's comment regarding the accommodations. He didn't much mind the cramped space. He had shared more confined living spaces before. Just enough room to lie down was more than enough for him.
He was just setting his things on the ground by the door when Kurama heard those condolences from Russell. He straightened, unsure of what to say in return. There was no point in the alchemist feeling miserable for Kurama's pain, but neither could he simply say it was okay. It was far from that. Feeling helpless wasn't something he was accustomed to, yet it was an all-too-familiar feeling. Except that this time, he couldn't even go after the bastard responsible. Not without his powers, and not without a clue as to who that person was. The frustration was almost more than he could stand.
Turning to face Russell, Kurama finally settled for forcing a small smile, even though it hurt him to do so. "I appreciate your sympathy, thank you." What more could he really say? Taking a seat on the ground against the front of the dresser, Kurama pulled out his Faciliberry and waited for Russell to finish his tidying. He had to keep informed, after all. Just in case.
Russell finally stopped shuffling papers, pulling out the desk chair and dropping heavily into it. The red head’s response was so formal and strained. He shouldn’t have said anything, should’ve just let it alone. Leaning back in his chair he sighed quietly, surreptitiously watching Kurama while wondering what he should do. They were going to be stuck here for days, was it all going to be so tense?
It took all he had not to fidget, though he absently began doodling arrays on a scrap of paper left on the desk. Just sitting here like this gave him time to think and if it was something he did not want to d he was certain it would be harder on Kurama. Any ideas he thought of trying to talk to the red head, distract him from what must be painful memories, just sounded so insensitive in his head though. So he held his tongue and the awkward silence dragged on.
Kurama took note of the uncomfortable silence, but made no move to break it just yet. He took his time surveying the feeds as they surfaced, noting the responses to the one Madara had made himself--at least, the ones he could access. Who knew how many people were buying into the man's ploy for power. He had been here almost a month and there were still very few people he felt he could even remotely trust.
With nothing of interest to note, he dropped his faciliberry into his pocket and looked up at one of those few people. He had only known the other boy for a few days, but so far, Kurama had gotten the impression that he was a generally good person. A bit quick-tempered and stubborn, perhaps, but that already seemed to be a prerequisite for any friend of his. What was one more to add to the bunch?
It wasn't hard to tell that Russell was feeling uneasy. Even without the fidgeting, the atmosphere in the room spoke volumes. His responses likely hadn't helped that. Reluctantly, Kurama pushed himself back to his feet and walked over behind the alchemist to observe what he was doing. Contrary to Russell's belief, he didn't mind thinking, just as long as he could keep his mind focused on something productive.
"If you don't mind, what are these?" he asked after a moment, motioning to the arrays doodled on the paper.
Russell glanced up when Kurama stood but, not wanting to seem nervous, paid him little mind. Only partially because as soon as he starts with pointless doodling it soon becomes yet another scrap of theory he’ll have to keep in his pile of notes. This is exactly why his desk was so messy.
When Kurama speaks he looks up, startled slightly, almost as if he’d forgotten the other was there. If he let himself get wrapped up in his research, his theories, it would be so much easier to deal with… well everything.
“This?” He looks back down at the paper. “These are just transmutation circles… it’s what makes my alchemy work.” He left it at that, the couple people he'd been rambling to about his alchemy here had just nodded along, fairly obviously not having expected such in depth explanation.
"Ah." Kurama lapsed into silence again, watching as Russell continued his sketches. He couldn't begin to imagine how these circles could produce alchemy, given that the 'alchemy' he was familiar with was really nothing more than shoddy chemistry. Perhaps it was something akin to Gama's power--his ability to 'draw' curses onto a person, whether with paint or blood. But even if that were the case, powers were sealed. So what point did it serve to be drawing such things now?
When it didn't seem that Russell would explain further, Kurama spoke up again. Others might not have been so curious, but the redhead held a particular interest in Russell's abilities. "How do these drawings help? Especially if you intend to draw them now, with the collars in effect."
If the situation had been different Russell would have smiled, bright and cheerful and completely out of character. As it were he simply stared up at Kurama in surprise. It took him a moment to recover himself but he did, finally answering the red head’s question.
“Well Alchemy is the reconstruction of one thing into another. It functions on the law of Equivalent Exchange but within those parameters you can do just about anything.” For all the times he’d explained it somehow he thought, with Kurama at least, he didn’t need to elaborate on what the law meant. The man was quite intelligent and really, it should be pretty self explanatory.
“But to complete a transmutation the alchemical energy needs a guide. So the array is like a map or a blueprint. Through the circle you are explaining what elements you want to go where. So while I may not be able to activate an array right now I can still fiddle with theory, try to figure out exactly how the array needs to be arranged for the best result.” He paused, realizing he was rambling again. As soon as someone started asking about alchemy he seemed to just start talking and never notice that he lost their attention ages ago.
Given the context and his limited knowledge of Alchemy as it stood in his world, yes, Kurama could figure out for himself what 'equivalent exchange' was. Like in modern chemistry, you could only make so much of a substance so long as you had the ingredients to do so. Since modern chemistry was a derivative of alchemy in a way, it would stand that they shared similar principles.
He listened to the rest of Russell's explanation with interest. At some point, he had ceased standing behind the boy, and was instead leaning against the desk and facing him as they spoke.
So, in his world, alchemy was a sort of science in itself? Well, science if you ignored the use of this 'alchemical energy', which Kurama could only guess was a form of spiritual or magical energy--something of that nature. An amalgam of 'magic' and science was something strange to conceive, but the redhead took it all in stride.
His gaze turned to the paper once more, his eyes scanning over the diagrams. It resembled something similar to the alchemical writings used until the 18th century, some of which had even carried over to the present days in various forms. However, most of them had died out long before he had any interest in the human world, and alchemy wasn't considered anything more than a crackpot's science to the academic community. He pointed out the one that Russell was currently scribbling at.
"This one, then. What is this a blueprint for? I can recognize a few of the symbols--they're similar to an outdated form of writing in my world, but it's not something I studied in particular."
Russell lifted his pen. He hadn’t even been really paying that much attention to what he’d been working on. Squinting down at the lines he’d drawn.
“Ah, this one…” He pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, beginning the array again only this time larger and more legible. Despite the awkward tension in the room and the horror of what they’d seen Russell’s hand was steady, years of practice making the lines smooth and even, almost unnaturally precise. As he drew he spoke, going over the various lines.
“You start with a circle to contain the energy and the matter with which you are working. This is the basis for all arrays. This particular one is in fact the array for the roses you were asking about.” He smiles slightly before starting a pair of symmetrical lines stating at the bottom of the array and fanning upward, merging to form one thick bold line that stopped at the top edge of the circle. “Here we’re directing the energy to the top, the northernmost edge if it were a compass. North represents earth. Which is represented by this symbol.” He carefully erased a portion of the main circle, inserting another tiny circle around an inverted triangle with a horizontal line through it.
“Really it is not necessary to have the symbol there as well but it enhances the influence of the earth element over the others. If the intent is constructive, as in something to enhance growth or the effects of time, the pattern will follow a clockwise rotation.” He demonstrates this, adding a series of free standing circles within the larger circle, all three connected by whorls that he gradually begins to shade in. At the pause he glances up, looking sheepish.
“You just asked what it was and here I am explaining the dynamics.” There’s a hesitant pause at the end as if he wanted to add something else but the ‘I’m sorry’ remained unspoken.
"Oh, that's fine," Kurama responded, meeting Russell sheepish look with another forced smile, though it was a little less forced than it was a few minutes ago. There was a certain kind of relief in Russell's willingness to draw this particular array, even to show it to Kurama. Perhaps convincing Russel to make those rose seeds wouldn't be such a difficult challenge after all.
And he would need them greatly, if he ever found the one responsible for Kuronue's fate.
"I find it fascinating. I would hate to distract you, though, when you seem so intent on your work. Would you mind if I simply watched you draw?"
“No, no. That’s fine.” Russell said quickly, looking back down at the array. He lifted the pen again, but found Kurama watching him to be more nerve wracking than explaining it. The silence, which had been awkward before, was doubly so with the other so close.
He only got a few more lines down before he paused again, glancing up at the red head briefly. There were so many things he wanted to ask but any words he came up with just seemed rude. Kurama seemed so nice, if a bit distant at times. It made no sense to him that he should be friends with a guy like Kuronue. But the words escaped him and the red head had certainly seemed like he did not want to talk about it.
Turning away again, Kurama entered the bathroom and went straight to the sink. The water ran cool over his hands as he tried to wash the blood away, scrubbing his skin mercilessly. It took nearly a minute, but even after the last of the red tint had been washed down the drain, Kurama could still remember the feel of the body in his hands. Gripping the edge of the sink, the he took a deep breath, muffled by the sound of the running water. Nothing would make this better, but the thought of visiting justice on Kuronue's murderer was enough to give him a handle on things. Revenge was something to work towards, something he could deal with instead of feeling helpless. He concentrated on that.
Turning the water off, Kurama caught the tail end of Russell's question. It was a valid one, one that Kurama was still trying to find an answer to. He wiped his hands dry against his pants as he exited the bathroom.
"Hide, for now," he said simply as he came to a stop behind the couch that Russell was seated on. He didn't feel much calmed than a moment ago, but he had a goal now--something to focus on. Survival and revenge.
"We should head to my room first to gather the food I have stored there. If this experiment only remains in effect for one week, the rations will be enough for the both of us. As for our bunker... Your room would be a safer choice, considering mine shares a wall with the Biodome. I would rather not run the risk this week of being caught in someone else's crossfire."
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“Hide?” He sighed quietly, isn’t that just what he’d said he didn’t want to do? But, really, he didn’t have much of a choice. None of them did. He stood, nodding slowly but refusing to meet Kurama’s eyes. He should apologize for what he’d said, say something to try to comfort the red head but it was not something he did often or well. What could he possibly say after that? Kurama should’ve punched him but now was instead offering to help him. “You’re right. The further we are from the biodome the better, really.”
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"Further would be nice, but I would rather not trust a room to remain empty if it belongs to someone else." Worst case scenario, they could waltz right into one of the black collars' rooms without even realizing it.
Moving around the couch, Kurama moved past Russell to the door, then paused to look back. The blond boy wasn't the only one feeling a little guilty for hasty words. They had both witnessed something gruesome, and with the fear and chaos humming through the air, tensions were high. Tempers were bound to be brushed the wrong way, but it was better to move past it than dwell on it.
"I apologize for my words a few minutes ago. I know that was something horrible to witness for the both of us, and it wasn't my intention to snap at you." He couldn't bring himself to force a smile yet, but his words were sincere.
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“Forget it. I…” He took a deep breath and finally met the red head’s gaze, offering as apologetic a look as he could muster. “I started it.” He looked away quickly, guilt making him unwilling to keep eye contact. Apologies were just something his pride didn’t often permit.
“Let’s just…” He glanced to the side, to that little red smear that bled out from under the door and shuddered slightly. “… get out of here.”
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With the same level of stealth and care as before, Kurama opened the suite door. There were no footsteps, no people. Everything was still as eerily quiet as before. Regardless of the fact that it was the middle of the night, it was unsettling as he led Russell down to Suite 30.
It didn't take long to gather the food that he had stored away. There was enough nutrition bars, fruit, bags of chips, and bottles of water to last them for the week. Kurama pulled the pillow case off of his pillow and began loading it up. He also yanked the sheets off of his bed, folded them up, and handed them to Russell. The pillows he carried himself, along with one of the two pillow cases full of food supplies. He grabbed a few extra clothes as well, before finally leaving the room. He had no intention of coming back until next week... So long as this experiment was over by then.
Returning to Suite 25 was likewise uneventful, given that they were practically across the hall from one another. For that, Kurama was grateful. It would have been suicide to venture any further than this. Slipping into the suite, Kurama waited for Russell. It was his room, not Kurama's, even if the redhead had been there not even a day ago. It felt more comfortable to let Russell go first than to simply barge in.
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“It’ll be a little cramped…” He said quietly, gesturing to the corner of the room. The entire area between the foot of the bed and the desk was boxed in, soil from the biodome filling the space and plants all but overflowing it. He dumped the blankets and food on the bed, quickly moving to the desk which was a mess of papers and notebooks. “I guess we’ll just have to make due until the week’s out…” He stacked up his notes, jamming things into drawers to make room. “I… I’m sorry about your friend.” He finally said quietly, focusing his attention on what he was doing. He didn’t know what else to say but, especially after the argument he’d had with Kuronue earlier, it didn’t seem right to just… leave things as they were.
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He was just setting his things on the ground by the door when Kurama heard those condolences from Russell. He straightened, unsure of what to say in return. There was no point in the alchemist feeling miserable for Kurama's pain, but neither could he simply say it was okay. It was far from that. Feeling helpless wasn't something he was accustomed to, yet it was an all-too-familiar feeling. Except that this time, he couldn't even go after the bastard responsible. Not without his powers, and not without a clue as to who that person was. The frustration was almost more than he could stand.
Turning to face Russell, Kurama finally settled for forcing a small smile, even though it hurt him to do so. "I appreciate your sympathy, thank you." What more could he really say? Taking a seat on the ground against the front of the dresser, Kurama pulled out his Faciliberry and waited for Russell to finish his tidying. He had to keep informed, after all. Just in case.
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It took all he had not to fidget, though he absently began doodling arrays on a scrap of paper left on the desk. Just sitting here like this gave him time to think and if it was something he did not want to d he was certain it would be harder on Kurama. Any ideas he thought of trying to talk to the red head, distract him from what must be painful memories, just sounded so insensitive in his head though. So he held his tongue and the awkward silence dragged on.
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With nothing of interest to note, he dropped his faciliberry into his pocket and looked up at one of those few people. He had only known the other boy for a few days, but so far, Kurama had gotten the impression that he was a generally good person. A bit quick-tempered and stubborn, perhaps, but that already seemed to be a prerequisite for any friend of his. What was one more to add to the bunch?
It wasn't hard to tell that Russell was feeling uneasy. Even without the fidgeting, the atmosphere in the room spoke volumes. His responses likely hadn't helped that. Reluctantly, Kurama pushed himself back to his feet and walked over behind the alchemist to observe what he was doing. Contrary to Russell's belief, he didn't mind thinking, just as long as he could keep his mind focused on something productive.
"If you don't mind, what are these?" he asked after a moment, motioning to the arrays doodled on the paper.
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When Kurama speaks he looks up, startled slightly, almost as if he’d forgotten the other was there. If he let himself get wrapped up in his research, his theories, it would be so much easier to deal with… well everything.
“This?” He looks back down at the paper. “These are just transmutation circles… it’s what makes my alchemy work.” He left it at that, the couple people he'd been rambling to about his alchemy here had just nodded along, fairly obviously not having expected such in depth explanation.
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When it didn't seem that Russell would explain further, Kurama spoke up again. Others might not have been so curious, but the redhead held a particular interest in Russell's abilities. "How do these drawings help? Especially if you intend to draw them now, with the collars in effect."
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“Well Alchemy is the reconstruction of one thing into another. It functions on the law of Equivalent Exchange but within those parameters you can do just about anything.” For all the times he’d explained it somehow he thought, with Kurama at least, he didn’t need to elaborate on what the law meant. The man was quite intelligent and really, it should be pretty self explanatory.
“But to complete a transmutation the alchemical energy needs a guide. So the array is like a map or a blueprint. Through the circle you are explaining what elements you want to go where. So while I may not be able to activate an array right now I can still fiddle with theory, try to figure out exactly how the array needs to be arranged for the best result.” He paused, realizing he was rambling again. As soon as someone started asking about alchemy he seemed to just start talking and never notice that he lost their attention ages ago.
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He listened to the rest of Russell's explanation with interest. At some point, he had ceased standing behind the boy, and was instead leaning against the desk and facing him as they spoke.
So, in his world, alchemy was a sort of science in itself? Well, science if you ignored the use of this 'alchemical energy', which Kurama could only guess was a form of spiritual or magical energy--something of that nature. An amalgam of 'magic' and science was something strange to conceive, but the redhead took it all in stride.
His gaze turned to the paper once more, his eyes scanning over the diagrams. It resembled something similar to the alchemical writings used until the 18th century, some of which had even carried over to the present days in various forms. However, most of them had died out long before he had any interest in the human world, and alchemy wasn't considered anything more than a crackpot's science to the academic community. He pointed out the one that Russell was currently scribbling at.
"This one, then. What is this a blueprint for? I can recognize a few of the symbols--they're similar to an outdated form of writing in my world, but it's not something I studied in particular."
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“Ah, this one…” He pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, beginning the array again only this time larger and more legible. Despite the awkward tension in the room and the horror of what they’d seen Russell’s hand was steady, years of practice making the lines smooth and even, almost unnaturally precise. As he drew he spoke, going over the various lines.
“You start with a circle to contain the energy and the matter with which you are working. This is the basis for all arrays. This particular one is in fact the array for the roses you were asking about.” He smiles slightly before starting a pair of symmetrical lines stating at the bottom of the array and fanning upward, merging to form one thick bold line that stopped at the top edge of the circle. “Here we’re directing the energy to the top, the northernmost edge if it were a compass. North represents earth. Which is represented by this symbol.” He carefully erased a portion of the main circle, inserting another tiny circle around an inverted triangle with a horizontal line through it.
“Really it is not necessary to have the symbol there as well but it enhances the influence of the earth element over the others. If the intent is constructive, as in something to enhance growth or the effects of time, the pattern will follow a clockwise rotation.” He demonstrates this, adding a series of free standing circles within the larger circle, all three connected by whorls that he gradually begins to shade in. At the pause he glances up, looking sheepish.
“You just asked what it was and here I am explaining the dynamics.” There’s a hesitant pause at the end as if he wanted to add something else but the ‘I’m sorry’ remained unspoken.
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And he would need them greatly, if he ever found the one responsible for Kuronue's fate.
"I find it fascinating. I would hate to distract you, though, when you seem so intent on your work. Would you mind if I simply watched you draw?"
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He only got a few more lines down before he paused again, glancing up at the red head briefly. There were so many things he wanted to ask but any words he came up with just seemed rude. Kurama seemed so nice, if a bit distant at times. It made no sense to him that he should be friends with a guy like Kuronue. But the words escaped him and the red head had certainly seemed like he did not want to talk about it.
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