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Post by COLIN COX on Jun 12, 2013 15:19:17 GMT -8
"You never know. What if our shadows warped into monsters that tried to kill us? The Reaper makes sure that nobody comes out alive. You may have done it once, but Death has marked you with his scythe. Will you do it again?" Colin continued in a low voice, flashlight still beaming on his soft features. Julie would know that he was referencing the Final Destination movies: he'd watched them hoping for some gore and creative ways of murder, but had found them to be overdone and forced. He hadn't even cringed when he'd seen the spattering of blood, but perhaps that was because he was just desensitised. But it was then when Julie suggested they explored upstairs, and Colin nodded.
"Sounds good. I'm ready." He thought of handing the flashlight back to Julie so she could lead, but decided against it. She enjoyed being taken around from time to time, and even though this was technically her adventure he could take control of it for even a brief moment. Slowly, carefully, Colin led her up the staircase. One step, two, and then he heard a loud, vicious creak. "Shit," Colin muttered, pausing in his tracks, lurching as he felt the weight of the wood practically sink underneath their feet. He gripped hold of the banister so tightly that his knuckles went white, and he turned to Julie with a furrowed brow, his anxious expression just barely visible in the dim light.
"Y- you sure?"
Wait. She'd been here before, right? Okay, he was going to get a grip and stop freaking out. Floorboards creaked all the time. It was safe, she would never put him in the line of harm. He'd be fine, he thought, smiling at her. Despite how reckless she could be, the fact that she'd personally vetted and declared this place safe for him to explore despite his pathetic physical ability said something. She'd said that this would be okay, which meant that it would be okay. Colin smiled, shaking his head. He was going to place her faith in her like he'd done so many times before in the past.
"Never mind, it'll be fine. Let's go," he chuckled, and with those words he felt the sinking feeling in his chest disappear. He continued up the stairs, still taking care not to tread too heavily, but soon they were at the top of the balcony that overlooked the main hall. Colin flashed the light downstairs, resisting the urge to lean on the bannister. Now that would certainly be dangerous, despite whatever Julie said, and even she would have the sense not to do that. Or so he hoped.
"So where to next?" he asked, shining the light into the hallway that led to several rooms. "Which one do we go into first?" |
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Post by JULIETTE DUBOIS on Jun 15, 2013 16:14:04 GMT -8
The only reply she had for his dramatic monologue was a roll of her eyes- really, if he wanted to be scary, he was going to have to do better than that. Then again, Colin couldn't be scary even if he tried. If he was even trying to scare her, anyway; at the moment she could only assume he was trying to make her laugh. She poked him in the side, an eyebrow quirked as the corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly upwards. "Lame." Still, she could appreciate the effort at least.
She let Colin lead the way towards the stairs, gently squeezing his hand reassuringly as they began making their way up the wooden steps. A loud, ominous creak stopped them dead in their tracks, and he glanced back at her with a worried expression, his face anxious as he asked her if she was sure- "Yes." She replied firmly, waiting for him to continue patiently. She had tested these steps out herself- unlike most abandoned staircases, she didn't even need to edge along the sides of the planks, in fear of falling through to the floor below. They had held up just fine as she and Cal had gone back and forth from one floor to the next, and she knew that they'd hold up just fine now as she and Colin explored their haunted house. She would never knowingly put Colin in danger- if she had really been worried, she would have taken the lead herself. But everything was okay; if only Colin would hurry up.
He smiled and chuckled, and she grinned slightly herself as Colin once again began to ascend the stairs. And then finally, they were on the second floor, in all it's dusty glory. She almost wanted to lean over and kiss him on the cheek, but decided against it in the end. It was way too early in the morning to start getting all mushy gushy romantic with each other- besides, what if a ghost was watching them?
"Let's go to the master bedroom, they've got a balcony overlooking the back." She flashed him a smile, before gently taking the flashlight back out of his hand. With the beam of light leading the way, she tugged his hand as she walked down the hall to the left, passing through a yawning doorway into what could only be the master bedroom. The only indication that it had once been lived in was a single vanity left all alone in a corner of the room; other than that and a few stray planks of wood propped against the wall, and the place was deserted. (As if the rest of the house wasn't an indication.) What drew the eye, however, were the French glass doors letting light into the room from the outside. Turning to Colin, Julie beamed and asked, cheerfully, "The view's not anything special, but want to take a look anyway?"
(As if he'd say no.)
Without waiting for an answer, she walked across the floor, kicking up small hurricanes of dust as she approached the tall doors. Gripping both handles firmly in her hands, she gave them a few sharp tugs until they finally creaked reluctantly open. The garden below was overgrown and choked with weeds, but from this spot they could clearly see the faint outline of daybreak in the eastern sky. What a shock- where had all that time gone? It seemed like they had only just been at home. Still, the show must go on; she spun around to face Colin, arms outstretched in a showman's stance. "Ta-da~" A beautiful sight to behold!
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Post by COLIN COX on Jun 16, 2013 12:33:16 GMT -8
He could go on about all of the "what-if"s and all of the "maybe"s, but while he was with Julie he felt safe. Deep down, he'd always worried about whether he'd be able to protect her if it boiled down to it-- in a city like Los Angeles, you could never be too careful, but he'd always come to the conclusion that she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
Which was why he loved her, of course, though some days he wished that he was stronger so he could do more, so he could follow her in more of the adventures and escapades that marked her life. Yet it was nice leading a separate life from Julie that converged in the moments that they were both home; he knew that with any other person he might have resulted in becoming a jealous, clingy lover, but she was so good at making him feel secure that he knew she would always come home. She could leave the house at five in the morning alone and he wouldn't bat an eye as long as he knew she was going to a safe area, because she was definitely more than capable of standing her ground.
Indeed, she was more capable than he was, and it showed. Colin covered his nose and mouth to suppress a sneeze, letting out a sound that ended up sounding in between a whistle and a whimper. Not exactly the pinnacle of manhood, but around her he had long ceased to care about that. She always told him he was kind of adorable, which he always protested, but apparently it made him even cuter which he was never able to comprehend. Never mind, he thought as he wrinkled his nose, he'd find a moment to call her princess later in the day. Upon her mention of the master bedroom, however, he couldn't help but chortle, raising a brow, even though he knew he was inviting trouble with that. Whoever said that he was known for maturity, rationality and sensibility clearly didn't know him very well. Then again, nobody could blame them: this was a side of him that he only showed to a select few. Following her lead as she led him into the bedroom (did he mention that he loved how they both took turns showing each other their worlds? Only for the thousandth time) Colin allowed his eyes to fall upon the French glass doors, watching as faint traces of sunlight trickled in from the outside. He squinted.
"It's daybreak already." Good job, Mister Obvious. Nevertheless, Julie creaked the door open, and he was led into a room that had once been grand. Tentatively, he approached the balcony, noting that the sky had turned a pleasing shade of light blue, and that there were traces of orange in the distance. Sunrise was approaching, and he turned to Julie, a small smile upon his lips as he asked, "Do you want to stay here for a while and watch the sunrise together?" A cliche, which he hated in books, yes; but it would have been fun to do together, albeit a little tried and tested. |
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Post by JULIETTE DUBOIS on Jun 20, 2013 7:15:19 GMT -8
Oh, she should have seen that coming.
As much as Colin might pretend otherwise, he was a big romantic at heart. Oh sure, it was cute- she still had the letters he had sent her from when he was studying abroad. But if there was one thing Julie loved, it was ruining all of Colin's attempts at trying to be romantic. Watching the sunrise together from the balcony of a rickety old building that should have been scheduled for demolition years ago? It couldn't get much more cliche than that, unless he had a surprise picnic planned as well. Now that would be absolute overkill.
So of course, in reply Julie turned to him with a cocked eyebrow, an expression of disgust on her face as she replied, "Eww, no way! This isn't one of your dumb books." It was probably 5, nearing 6 a.m. by then, it was time for a reality check. This really wasn't a chapter out of a book or a scene from a movie; it was just the two of them being stupid together, as per usual. Besides, she had had enough for one morning. And besides besides, she was starving. She regretted not getting that pastry back at the coffee shop right about now- she needed breakfast, dammit! Reaching out to take his hand again, she tugged on it imploringly. "C'mon, I'm hungry, let's go get pancakes."
Because pancakes were exactly what they needed at the moment.
She led the way back down the stairs, out the door, and through the gate. The world was slowly stirring awake around them now, with the soft cries of birds and the distant sound of engines starting filling what was once still air. The spell was broken, and the city was no longer their's any more. Turning to Colin, she held out her hand for the lock in his pocket, a slight grin on her face as she asked, lightly, "So, did you have fun?" The smile that had graced his face before was answer enough for her, but she wanted to hear it for herself. With the gate once again barring entrance to the old house, Julie took Colin's hand in her's and began walking down the pavement, a skip in her step. "I'm so excited for breakfast right now, you have no idea."
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Post by COLIN COX on Jun 22, 2013 5:16:04 GMT -8
Some days, he couldn't help but think about how he and Julie probably appeared to be to outsiders. A young boy and girl taking each other on adventures around the city, hand in hand, ready to face each day with something new. She'd shown him how the world he'd always viewed as bleak could be as wonderful and amazing as it was in books, and he in turn had done as much for her as he could, held her when she was sad and given her a place in his heart. It was at moments like this when he wondered whether he could freeze the moment so they could remain in it forever: the sun was rising and he couldn't help but give her a small smile as he gazed into the sky...
And then Julie just had to open her mouth.
"Are you serious," he muttered under his breath as she mentioned that this wasn't one of his dumb books. It had been a moment, and she just had to go and ruin it. But she was right, it would have been awfully cliche, even if he was never going to admit it out loud at this point. If he even acknowledged for a brief moment that he had been wrong, she was going to laugh at him and rub it in his face for the rest of the year. And that was if he was lucky. Colin rolled his eyes as she took his hand, though he wrapped his fingers around hers in response. Whether he wanted to admit it at this point or not, he had had fun. It had been nice to explore the building. And as they passed the stairways and halls and found themselves walking back to the entrance, he sighed a little in defeat as his eyes met hers. In response to her question, he just handed her the lock, nodding his head.
"Until you came and blazed all my dreams down, yes. I did."
(He couldn't say it without smiling.)
Still holding her hand, the two of them continued down the pavement, Colin nodding as Julie mentioned pancakes. "Yeah, pancakes sound good," he muttered. He remembered needing to do something the next morning rather vaguely, but was too delirious to remember what it was. The soft churning of his stomach was an indication that he too was starting to get a little peckish. They'd been exploring an old abandoned house for a good hour or two at least; he would have had to be inhuman to not be at least craving some food. "There's an IHOP nearby," he said, nodding at Julie, "But I think that there are a couple of new cafes around here that might be open for twenty-four hours as well. Why don't we try one of them out? I walked past one of them the other day and I smelled pancakes." Lessons in spontaneity indeed. |
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Post by JULIETTE DUBOIS on Jun 23, 2013 18:43:39 GMT -8
"Oh hush, your dreams suck." She shot back with a laugh, bumping into him as they walked. If your dreams consist of watching the sun rise on a rickety old balcony in an abandoned building then, yeah, your dreams suck pretty hard. Now, if your dreams consist of kissing your significant other in a tank full of sharks, or taking selfies while skydiving, then your dreams are awesome. However, that won't stop Julie from looking down on you, because seriously, who dreams about stuff like that to begin with? Kind of dumb and lame, honestly.
She frowned in thought, weighing their choices in her mind. On the one hand, IHOP was consistently delicious, and they always had excellent specials. On the other hand, she had already gone to IHOP earlier that week with Cal, and given the reactions of their waiter, it might be a good idea to let things cool down for a bit before she went back... she really didn't need the same waiter to remember her and be an ass to Colin on her account. So! "Okay, cafe breakfast sounds good." She replied with a grin, fighting back a yawn as she glanced at him. One thing she knew for sure: she was ordering a million cups of coffee when they got to wherever they were going.
In the meantime, she slowed down her pace slightly, gesturing with her other hand with a sweeping motion. "Lead the way, oh fearless leader." There was a shit-eating grin on her face as she spoke, but the request itself was genuine- they could take turns leading the way, right? Besides, now that the sun was rising she was starting to feel the lag from not getting sleep, and the caffeine from her coffee was wearing off by now. She was certain that she could entrust Colin with determining the final destination (lol) of their breakfast.
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Post by COLIN COX on Jun 24, 2013 14:32:24 GMT -8
Colin rolled his eyes with the statement that his dreams sucked, but that was where they would beg to differ. He had dreams of owning the world's biggest library and of being able to afford enough plaid shirts for the sole purpose of pissing Julie off, and he was quite certain that she would frown upon those goals. More so the latter than the former, but she would disagree nevertheless. On the other hand he, unlike her, was unlikely to have dreams of winning the ice cream lottery or solving an unsolvable math problem or something stupid like that. Not that he didn't hope that they shared some dreams, of course, he thought as he bumped his shoulder against hers in return. It was probably too soon to be thinking like this, he knew, and he didn't want to be disappointed in the end, but the part of him that dared to dream couldn't help but wonder if they could remain like this for more than a while.
"Let's go, sleepyhead," Colin said as he ruffled her hair. "Come along." It was his turn to lead the way, and he did so with pleasure, starting down the street towards the cafe that he was thinking about. If he remembered correctly, it hadn't been too far from where they were. Casting the old building one last fond glance, the two of them started towards the cafe, their pace considerably slower with fatigue. He had no idea how he was going to survive the rest of the day, and for a second or two he wished that he was able to drink coffee without making a complete mess so that it would last him through the night. A left turn and then a right later, they were at the junction across the pancake place.
"Here we are," he said as he pushed the door open. Addressing the waitress that was supposed to seat them, Colin said, "Table for two, please." Unlike the earlier establishment, this was quite evidently a family-oriented place with bright blues and flourescent lighting: if the intent was to create the kind of atmosphere that would wake anyone up, then he supposed that they had succeeded to some extent. He already felt more alert as he sat across Julie at the table, picking up the menus.
"The chocolate Nutella pancakes look amazing. Hey, you can even order them with a side of ice cream if you'd like. Shall we get two?" he asked. Which normally meant one and a half portions for Julie, and half for him. Just another day of their lives. |
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Post by JULIETTE DUBOIS on Jun 24, 2013 16:13:48 GMT -8
She frowned and swatted his hand away from her hair- what would have normally been a pointed glare was ruined by the hand she had over her mouth, stifling yet another yawn as it tried to escape. "I'm not sleepy, shut up." She mumbled, squeezing his hand as he began to lead the way down the sidewalk. Aaand there was the crankiness that tended to rear it's ugly head after she pulled an all-nighter. Sure, she was used to get only a few hours of sleep every night, but going without any sleep at all tended to do her in quickly. Once she had caffeine in her system though, she should be good to go for the rest of the day.
They walked in silence for a while, a stark contrast to the excited chatter when they had been on their way to the old house, but Julie didn't mind the quiet. There were people that you spent so much time with that at times, there just wasn't much to say. But the silence was easy and relaxed, not like the awkward lulls in conversations between strangers or acquaintances. There was no static in the air, no held breath waiting for someone to find a new topic of discussion for the pair to fill the gap between them- she would rather this than being forced to talk about the weather, or what she was majoring in, or-
It was nice, and Julie wouldn't want it any other way.
Finally, they reached the Pancake House of Legend, the fabled cafe said to be the home of some of the most delicious pancakes known to mankind. No, that was a lie, but Julie did have faith that Colin wasn't leading her into some -2 star joint that was going to serve them cockroaches on a plate. Her first thought upon entering the establishment, however, was 'Oh god, it's too happy in here.' At least it was too early for there to be any screaming children around, so that was good, right? Yup, this would be just fine for Julie.
She plopped into the seat across from Colin, and immediately opened the menu to the specials. Suddenly, she was wide awake, reading over all the listed foods that were available for her to indulge in. Oh, decisions, decisions, this was going to be tough. At the mention of Nutella pancakes with a side of ice cream, however, she was instantly sold. She glanced up at Colin with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "I want five. And all the coffee they have. I'm going to run them out of business. I'm drinking all their coffee and eating all their pancakes." Her face was completely deadpan serious, and you would almost think she was joking, except she quite obviously wasn't. "Don't try and stop me, I've already made up my mind." Coffee and pancakes galore. #YOLO
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Post by COLIN COX on Jun 25, 2013 15:42:32 GMT -8
When it came to food, Colin had no way of knowing whether Julie was serious or not. So he quirked an eyebrow, waiting for the waiter to come over to see if she would do what she had said she would do. He wouldn't put it past her to order five Nutella pancakes and all of the coffee that she could possibly hope to drink, so much so that she would be more hyperactive than a puppy on a sugar rush. Either way, it was her choice as to what she wanted, but it wasn't going to stop him from getting a little dig in.
"I'll have one helping of the Nutella pancakes, with some black tea on the side. The lady said she wanted five, with all the coffee that you have." He spoke the words in as deadpan a tone as she had to him, before giving Julie a smirk and a light kick under the table. She could correct him if she had been kidding, or eat all the pancakes herself. He was fairly broke but he would certainly try to make ends meet if it meant that Julie would eat five stacks of pancakes with Nutella and ice cream. If that didn't make her sick, Colin would seriously consider selling her to Ripley's Believe It Or Not for some profits. Perhaps if he got rid of her, he would be able to have more space to store his books.
(He probably couldn't get rid of her if he tried. For one he was sure she wouldn't go, but for another he didn't think he could bear to do it.)
Either way, the waiter took their orders, and trotted off to the kitchen. Colin leaned back in his seat, smirk not leaving his face. He could have referred to Julie as 'princess' instead of 'lady', but he would save that for a different day. They had a Disneyland date lined up soon, and he would see how many times she'd get called princess while she was there. It had to be done with precision, just like the moments in which the two of them were actually nice. |
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Post by JULIETTE DUBOIS on Jun 25, 2013 20:49:44 GMT -8
Julie was always serious about food. When was someone going to understand this? She was a connoisseur of food of all types and delicacies, she took her meals seriously. She loved eating more than she loved Colin, and that was saying something since she loved Colin so much. Oh yes, if she had to choose between a 5-star, 12-course dinner and Colin, she'd pick the dinner in a heartbeat. Sorry Colin, food was always going to be number one in her heart, until the end of time.
(Does the lie even need to be pointed out at this point?)
Their waiter arrived at their table to take their order, and Colin spoke up, before giving her a smirk from across the table. She frowned in reply before shooting the waiter a sunny smile at his quirked eyebrow. "Yup, that's right. All your coffee and pancakes, please." Don't think she didn't notice Colin calling her a lady instead of a princess- she caught on right away, and she narrowed her eyes at him, returning his kick under the table with a jab of her own. 'Just you try, I dare you' her glare seemed to be saying, because if he did use that goddamn name right now, she was probably going to kill him.
"Geez, what's with that smirk?" She asked lightly, a small smile on her own lips as she assessed him. Boy, they must look like shit. Between their plaid shirts and what had to be at least 5 layers of dust on their clothes, they probably looked like a pair of dumb ass hobos instead of... well, whatever they usually looked like. A bibliophile and a cheerleader. Yeah, that sounded about right. She stretched her arms over her head and cracked her back, letting out a sigh as their waiter returned with tea and coffee. Before she picked up the steaming cup, she asked, with a grin, "So, want to do this again sometime?"
Because she'd love to do this again, would love to take him on another adventure filled with gross old buildings and early morning pancakes. It was the kind of thing she knew he'd like, which was why she had checked that building out first. They were still young and still had so much trouble to get into, what was a little sleep in the name of adventure?
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Post by COLIN COX on Jun 25, 2013 21:13:15 GMT -8
He chuckled a little at her question, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the seat. "I don't know. Why else do you think I'd be smirking," he said. Surely they had been together for long enough that she would be able to tell just why he was feeling just that little bit triumphant. Not that he would admit it in public, but it did seem like Julie got the the upper hand on him nine times out of ten. However, it was times like this when he knew that he could turn her into a blushing mess by just mentioning the word, and he couldn't help but feel triumphant for it-- he did like making her squirm too, despite all appearances of compliance and sweetness. The fact that he was a little bitch to her meant that she was special, though. Not everyone got to be on the receiving edge of his sarcasm. Julie could think of it as a privilege... Or maybe not.
"Yeah," he said somewhat sleepily, eyes still not opening. "Thanks for this. Let's do this again."
The seat was really comfortable, he couldn't help but think. Maybe he could just fall asleep on it, right here. And so for a moment he allowed himself to rest, until the clanking of a mug hitting the table jolted him awake; he opened one hazel eye, and then another, and the scent of freshly brewed tea wafted into his nostrils. Leaning forward, he picked up the mug and lifted it to his lips. Not bad, for cafe fare. Nothing on the stuff he'd had while he was on his study abroad, but he couldn't hope to compare it.
"I really appreciate it... Thank you so much." And maybe, just because he was sleepy and tired and didn't know what he was saying or doing any more, because the lack of sleep was starting to cloud his mind with thoughts he might or might not have normally had:
"I love you." |
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Post by JULIETTE DUBOIS on Jun 25, 2013 21:58:55 GMT -8
"Because you're a dork, that's why." She kicked him under the table again, though the slight curl of her lips could only mean that, yes, of course she knew. Colin was awful, but so was she. She was about as awful, if not even more awful, than he was, and that was totally fine. They balanced out each other's awful. Two negatives make a positive?
She raised her eyebrows as he leaned back in his chair, eyes closed and apparently dead to the world. Did he really just fall asleep while seated? Wow, he must have been more out of it than she thought. "Who's the sleepyhead now, huh?" She asked teasingly, nudging his foot with her's. But then he was taking a sip of his tea and thanking her- he didn't have to, it was her pleasure. She wanted to do this again! She wasn't going to complain though. "No problem." She shot back with a grin, finally taking a long gulp of the blazing hot drink.
Probably shouldn't have done that, but she hadn't gotten any sleep last night, okay? She was allowed to make some stupid decisions. At least she was wide awake now- and looking oh so elegant, with her tongue sticking out in an attempt to cool it down. Whatever. And then he just had to sleepily mumble those three little words-
"Lame."
(Love you too.)
(And in the end, Julie did indeed eat 5 1/2 pancakes, all the ice cream that came with them, and drank about 4 cups of coffee. Thankfully, Colin had the heart not to sell her to Ripley's. A happy ending!)
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DESTINY
UNKNOWN ENTITY
ANCIENT GUIDE
Posts: 221
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Post by DESTINY on Jul 17, 2013 13:55:32 GMT -8
| [cs=3][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,padding: 0px; width: 500px; background: transparent url('http://i.imgur.com/JUKLO.png') no-repeat;,true] | | [atrb=width,111][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,padding-left: 8px; padding-top:3px;] | [atrb=width,76][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,padding-left: 0px; padding-top:3px;] | [atrb=width,313][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,padding-left: 0px; padding-top:3px;] | | [cs=3][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,width: 460px; text-align: center; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px;] FINISHED | [cs=3][atrb=style,width: 460px; text-align: center; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px;]
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You have both been rewarded with 1 RESIDUE as this thread is now complete. It has been placed in the archives under the 'finished' sub-board. You are more than welcome to PM fate if this thread is not finished or if you are unhappy/unsatisfied with the amount of fate that has been rewarded. Keep up the great work and keep posting with other members. | [cs=3][atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,width: 500px; height: 35px;] |
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