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Post by SummerCrow on Jun 17, 2014 18:32:33 GMT -6
You lower your hatchet. If Horatio wants to gloat a bit, you'll let him; maybe he'll give up some useful information.
"Valeria's already gone. Those fools heading back to Antea are marching to their deaths. An entire army of Risen await them."
You aren't sure if he meant the rest of the Valerian army or Doran's team. Either way, your friends charged headlong into the city - you can only pray for their safety and hope they'll meet you at the rendezvous point.
"Carcina is in tatters. After the blow we've dealt them, do you really think you can afford to march against us, King Paen? If you leave your cities undefended... No, the best you can do is try to slow the Risen's spread. Every civilian, every soldier killed is another on our side. You can only watch as you numbers dwindle, watch as your citizens give into despair. You can no more fight the Risen than you can fight a force of nature - you fight Death itself."
"You underestimate us," Paen answers.
"No, I estimate you quite highly. Which is why I've made arrangements to deal with you."
"Oh?" Claudia asks, advancing threateningly.
"Yes, Lady Claudia. Your little group's been a wrench in my plans for quite some time, ever since that one" - he points at Dan - "grew a conscience and warned Valeria about our attack. You remember we marched side-by-side, once? I know quite a bit about you, especially how your... chief adviser thinks." Horatio stares at you. "How trusting she is. Hypothetically, it would be quite simple to slip an assassin or two..."
"Yer full o' crap!" Rosalin shouts from the rear.
"Am I?" Horatio asks. "We managed to infiltrate two different governments. Tell me we couldn't slip someone in with you." You quickly glance at everyone around you, gauging their reactions. You aren't the only one.
Paen ignores him. "By 'we,' I assume you mean Meridia?"
Horatio shrugs. "Of course. I'd be disappointed if you hadn't figured it out by now."
"That's all I needed to hear," Paen concludes, raising the Gae bolg. "It would have been a shame to invade the wrong country."
"I'm sure," Horatio says. He subtly raises his staff, and you react, throwing your hatchet. He draws his short sword, swatting it to the side as his giant Risen move to block your group. Anna's enchantment activates, and the hatchet reforms in your hand. Suddenly, several golden runes appear across the floor in the middle of your group. A bright flash erupts from each one, and then...
Nothing. Nothing happens. "Hm. You must've dealt with my reinforcements, then..." Horatio calls out. "No matter!" He raises his sword instead, and dark runes fill the air around you. The air is sucked from your lungs as you can feel your very life being sucked away. As quick as it started, the sensation ends.
Mary, Bud, and Sherry barrage one of the two giants from range, while Dan, Haley, and Ferris keep it at bay. Rosalin, Claudia, Zephyr, and Cecil surround the other, each unleashing devastating blows on its back every time it turns to attack the others. John floats between the two groups, healing staff raised.
Paen takes advantage of the opening to pass between the two colossi, and you follow him. His first thrust at Horatio finds only air; despite looking like a clean hit, Horatio suddenly seems to be a few inches to one side. Paen reacts by turning the thrust into a sweep. Horatio ducks low, then rises with a slash of his sword. It seems to do more damage than it should have, sending Paen staggering back a few steps. You stop Horatio from following up, deflecting his slash with your hatchet. Paen recovers, this time slamming into Horatio, sending him staggering back. You follow up with a throw of your hatchet. It strikes true, catching him in the leg. Horatio raises his sword again, and the black runes surround Paen. The wound on Horatio's leg closes as Paen raises his shield.
For the next attack, you lead. You chop through, clipping Horatio with what you thought would be a clean hit. Again, he seems to jump a few inches right at the last second, leaving him with a mere scratch instead of a missing arm. Paen steps in, catching Horatio with the butt of his spear and knocking the wind out of him. As Horatio staggers back, raising his sword, you leap to the side. The runes appear, but you're far enough away the spell misses. You take a few steps back toward Paen, regaining your balance. "Why is it so hard to hit him?" you ask Paen.
"He's a deceiver. It's how they fight," Paen answers. "Think you can shove him for me?"
You give him a glance, then break into a run, heading straight for Horatio. You let your axe fall at the last second, turning to hit him with your shoulder instead. Your momentum sends Horatio staggering back. "Down!" you hear Paen yell.
You drop, your momentum sending you rolling. Gae bolg flies past, and hits Horatio while he's still off-balance. Horatio looks down at his chest, surprised. He coughs, and blood comes pouring out. His sword drops to the floor. Before you or Paen can reach him, he raises his staff. It glows for a second, then a ring appears on the ground beneath him. He vanishes in a flash of light, taking the Gae bolg with him.
Paen stomps in frustration. "Not a rescue staff. A warp staff!" he yells. You look at him, and he sees the confusion on your face. "Coward ran away at the last second. No way he survived that. He just didn't want to give me the satisfaction of seeing him die... Even in death, that little weasel...!"
"We won." Dan startles him. "That's all that really matters. The city's ours." Your group falls in around you, John tending to a few minor wounds.
"All that matters..." Paen mutters. "Not quite." He approaches the throne, climbing on top. He rips the Carcinan emblem from the wall above it, revealing an indentation. He shoves his shield into it, and the throne begins to shift beneath him. It slides out from the wall, revealing what appears to be a blank expanse of stone. Paen jumps behind the throne, reaches up, removing the shield. The chair slides back into place. For a moment, you worry that Paen will be crushed, but Claudia's lack of a response keeps you calm. A few seconds later, the throne grinds forward again, and Paen steps out. In one hand, his shield, the Dark Emblem. In the other, a massive black sword - long and thin, with twin serrated edges.
"Flamberge?" Ferris asks. Paen nods solemnly. "Creepy-looking thing."
Paen marches out to the balcony running out along the throne room. You join him. Adam still waits below you, his army more or less matched up. A pile of corpses sits beside them while fire mages prepare to set it ablaze. Thrace lands beside him, and appears to have good news. In the distance, you can see only a few pegasus knights still flying. A handful of dark fliers use wind magic to contain a burning building, another pair are running messages between groups of Valerian myrmidons and Carcinan soldiers. A crowd of villagers starting to gather in the central plaza look up at you.
Claudia brings the emblem Paen pulled from the throne, leaving it dangling over the balcony edge. Paen raises his sword, and the crowd erupts into a cheer.
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Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised there were no deaths this chapter. You also earned a bit of special loot. 36 possible supports, so take 9.
June/Wendy A
June/Dan B
June/John C
June/Charon C
June/Paen S
June/Clauda C
June/Rosalin C
June/Cecil C
June/Zephyr B
June/Sherry C
Bud/Paen C
Bud/Cecil C
Haley/John C
Haley/Mary B
Haley/Zephyr C
Wendy/John C
Wendy/Jessup C
Wendy/John C
Wendy/Claudia C
Ferris/Dan C
Ferris/Mary C
Ferris/Claudia C
Alyssa/Charon C
Alyssa/Rosalin C
Alyssa/Zephyr B
Jessup/Mary C
Jessup/Cecil C
Dan/Paen B
Dan/Rosalin C
John/Paen C
Mary/Cecil C
Mary/Zephyr C
Mary/Sherry C
Charon/Claudia C
Charon/Rosalin C
Charon/Zepyr C
Charon/Sherry C
Paen/Rosalin C
Paen/Zephyr C
Rosalin/Cecil S
Zephyr/Sherry C
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Post by SummerCrow on Jun 20, 2014 2:56:45 GMT -6
Though the citizens erupt in celebration, your work is far from done. "Claudia?" Paen asks, holding his victorious stance. "We can afford to depart in the morning, can't we? I need some time to see to Carcina's reconstruction."
"Yes, barring any major detours we should arrive with plenty of time to spare."
"Objections, anyone?"
"I'm not going to complain about holing up in a castle for the night," Ferris says, stretching. "Beats camping."
"I'll make sure we're nice and stocked for the upcoming fight," Anna says. You hadn't even noticed her enter the city.
Paen nods, lowering his sword as the crowd's cheer subsides. "June, I would speak with you in private later," he says to you, before turning to address the crowd. "Citizens, hear me! Tartan is ours once again! There is much that should be revealed to you, but precious little time. For now, know that we stand alongside Valeria against those that would turn our nations against each other, those that spread these vile Risen across our fair country. Today, join me as we mourn our dead even as we celebrate our victory and begin rebuilding. Tomorrow, we begin our counter-attack!"
After Paen's speech, you head out into the town to join the patrols. At Cecil's suggestion, you called the Carcinan guards and Valerian army together for an improptu parade; while the crowds gather to watch, smaller groups can take care of any corpses – living or dead – in other parts of the city. If any Risen remain within the walls, you plan to hunt them down. Your shadow latches onto you again as you march. She struggles to keep up with the others, her javelin held loosely. Between your vantage point on Marth's back and her posture, she seems even smaller than before.
"How're you feeling?" you call down to her.
"Oh..." she says, craning her head to look at you. "Just... a bit tired."
"That was your first real battle, wasn't it?" you ask.
"No, I... well, kinda. I joined the guard just before all the fighting broke out. So I was on duty when you guys invaded, but all we did was surrender..."
"It wasn't so long ago that I had my first battle," you tell her. "I still remember how I felt afterward. If you need anyone to talk to, I'll still be around until tomorrow."
"Thanks, I- Hey!" You can see a sudden shift in her demeanor. "What do you mean 'until tomorrow?' You say that like I'm not coming with you!"
"I assumed you would have had your fill of fighting. Besides, don't you have your duty as a guard?"
"I... lied. I'm not really a part of the guard. After we surrendered, some of us grabbed what we could from the armories before your army could raid them."
It takes you a minute to take that in. "So you haven't even been trained?" you finally ask.
"I didn't say that! Some of the older guards were training us in secret so we could take back our city."
"Sherry, we're going to be marching into the heart of the Risen. It's going to be extremely dangerous, not a place for a rookie."
"Where better to get training than fighting beside the ki-"
"Rookie buddies!" a voice yells. Zephyr, shoving past a trio of knights, leaps and tackles Sherry to the ground. "Whoops. Too hard. You're not as strong as you look, huh?"
"H-hey! I'm plenty strong! This armor's just... really heavy," Sherry answers. "And we're not 'rookie buddies,' you giant furball!"
You get an idea. "This may work out..." you mutter.
"What?" Zephyr asks.
"I want you to stick close to Sherry on the battlefield, OK?"
“Sure,” Zephyr answers, at the same time. “Why?”
“I can’t keep track of both of you at once. Zephyr, I want you to make sure Sherry doesn’t get hurt.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, I can take care of myself!” Sherry objects.
“And you, Sherry, make sure Zephyr doesn’t get himself hurt. I’ve noticed he likes to charge pretty far ahead.”
Sherry groans. “Fine, I’ll watch this bun-brain if it means you’ll let me come with you.”
Zephyr grins at her. “Y’know what that makes us, right?”
“What?”
He wraps an arm around her shoulder. “Battle buddies!”
You give the pair a wave as you speed Marth towards the head of the parade. Poor Sherry. Still, she’ll be safer staying with Zephyr. I think. You let yourself relax a bit and enjoy the cheering crowd lining the streets. A section of the crowd looks up and gasps, and you follow their gaze. Wendy’s manticore slams into the ground near you, and the soldiers that had been surrounding you move to give it a wide berth. Wendy takes advantage of their fear to get alongside you.
“All clear?” you ask, eyeing Wendy’s new mount apprehensively.
“There’s a lot of death, but cleanup’s moving along. A few groups found some Risen, but nothing they couldn’t handle.”
“How bad’s the damage?”
“Between one and two hundred civilians dead. Maybe a third of the Carcinan guard and Valeria’s army. No damage to the town wall or gate, so they should be fine. It could have been much worse.”
You nod. A thought crosses your mind, and you suddenly feel completely isolated, even in the middle of the crowd. “Hey, Wendy?”
“Hm?”
“I’m glad. And that… scares me a bit.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“There may be three hundred people dead, and I feel relieved. Three hundred people… They had lives, dreams. Families.”
A hand lands on your shoulder. “Stop, June. Don’t start thinking that way. You’re relieved for the people who lived, not the ones who died. That’s good. You should celebrate every life you’re able to save.”
She gives you a few moments. When you don’t respond, she continues. “Sometimes I forget you’re so much newer at being a knight than me… Do you remember when we met? When we got to Hearthstone, there were so many dead. But in the end, I was glad, because some of you survived. I think, at the end of the day, you’ll see the ones who you save touch you much more than the ones you fail.”
You let yourself nod a bit, suddenly becoming acutely aware of the mass of bodies around you, and the giant lion-scorpion monstrosity less than three feet away. “You’re right. I can’t latch onto the negative. I have to remember all the good we’re doing, all the people we’re helping.”
“Mm. And don’t forget all the bonds we’re forming. If you’re ever feeling down, remember there are plenty of people you can lean on.”
“Thanks, Wendy.”
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People assumed that because you were commanding the army before, you would be the one in charge of coordinating the clean-up, so you spend the day trapped in the city’s central plaza. An endless stream of exhausted soldiers and enthusiastic civilians come to you for orders or to make reports, only for you to realize you don’t know anything about the layout of Tartan. You’re hesitant to relay anyone to Paen, who is already sequestered in his throne room dealing with his own column of nobles and merchants. Fortunately, Sherry, of all people, saves you. Between her and a good map, you manage to get everyone where they need to go. Eventually, the chaos starts to wind down with most of the signs of battle cleared and people disappearing to their homes.
In the late evening, you catch sight of Mary as she emerges from the castle. She sees you as well, and starts to make her way to you, when you’re beset by another wave of citizens, these ones looking for lost members of their families. You grimace as you prepare to add them to the list of missing.
“I don’t think you’re going to need my help for this part,” Sherry mutters as she slinks away. “I’m going to take a break.” You manage to catch her heading towards Mary before being torn back to your work.
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“Hey,” Sherry greets Mary, hesitantly.
“Hello,” Mary replies. “You’re our new recruit, aren’t you?”
“Yeah!” Sherry answers, more enthusiastically. “I noticed your dancing during the fight. I wanted to come say hi. Since you’re, y’know, like me.”
“How so?”
“Well, younger. And… kinda… weaker? I mean, you’re a bit more experienced than me, but you don’t really seem all that tough. I mean, no offence, but dancing’s not exactly threatening.” Sherry stops as Mary has to stifle a laugh. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. You’re right. I must look ridiculous, prancing around in these skimpy robes while everyone else is carrying swords and bows and whatnot.” She does a quick flourish to emphasize her point.
“I… feel like I may have been a bit more insulting than I meant to be. I, um, want us to be friends, so can we maybe start over?”
“Not really, but it’s not too late for you to salvage this conversation.”
“Right. Um. Well, I just wanted to say your dancing’s really pretty, and it must take some real guts to get out on the frontlines without any weapons.”
“Nice recovery,” Mary concludes, patting Sherry on the shoulder. “C’mon, I need to talk to June, and she’s been trying to get your attention for a while now.”
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Sherry whirls around, and you notice a slight blush as she and Mary start your way. You aren’t sure what happened, but she seems a bit embarrassed. Mary notices the throng of people around you and simply tells you that Paen’s holding a strategy meeting during dinner before disappearing into the castle. You finish dealing with the people around you, before grabbing an unlucky Carcinan guard captain to take your place.
Most of your troops and the Valerian army are eating in the main hall, but Paen receives you in the throne room instead. A large table has been moved out onto the balcony with a surprisingly simple meal, and it seems they didn’t bother waiting on you. It feels strange, seeing Paen dressed in dark ceremonial robes instead of heavy armor. You take a seat and help yourself to some salad as you look around the table. Claudia is unsurprisingly beside Paen, along with three other members of his elite guard. You recognize Rosalin, Cecil, and Mary. Adam is shoveling chicken into his mouth, even while speaking to the audience; Thrace sits beside him, looking more than a bit disgusted. Most of the guests are strangers to you; nobles, you believe, with a handful of Carcinan officers.
“There was a lot of stuff going on that didn’t seem right. Reports of missing people, stuff like that. We were all real suspicious, but we never really expected Horatio. Even once some of our own troops started disappearing.” Adam pauses to take a drink, and Thrace takes over.
“Fortunately, my girls intercepted a messenger three days ago, before he could get to Horatio. He told her he had a special message from the archbishop himself, to be seen by the Major only. It explained everything about Horatio’s betrayal – everything we knew at the time, rather. That night, the Valerian army slipped out before the Meridians knew what was happening.” She smiles, apparently pleased with their success.
Adam takes over. “Took most of ‘em up north, hoping to meet the archbishop and get Antea back. Left us behind, told us Doran asked for a few troops to hang out and wait for you.”
“Well,” Paen says, solemnly. “That answers my question. I suppose we should go over everything we’ve learned since Doran sent those letters. Rosalin, Cecil, Mary. I’ll leave that to you.” You let your mind wander as Rosalin boisterously begins into a recap of the trip to Terranus.
You hear shouting from below. “I’m gonna get you,” you think they said. You shift your seat slightly to look out over the castle grounds. It seems the rest of your troops have finished their meal. Below, Haley is chasing Zephyr, who stays just out of her reach. You wonder if they might be fighting until you faintly hear Haley’s now-familiar laugh. Playing tag? You can’t help but feel a bit jealous that the pair are able to remain so light-hearted.
Slight movement in the wall’s shadow catches your eye. You look again, but can’t make anything out in the gloom of dusk. An assassin? You consider speaking up, but don’t want to look paranoid and embarrass Paen in the middle of this important dinner. You convince yourself you imagined it, but still tense as Haley and Zephyr’s game takes them closer to the wall. As Zephyr turns to taunt Haley, a figure leaps out at him. You shoot up from your seat. You can vaguely see Zephyr’s ears perk up, and he leaps straight up. Alyssa flies under him, crashing into Haley instead. The pair go rolling along the ground before coming to a stop a few feet away. Zephyr doesn’t land any more gracefully, collapsing in a fit of laughter before he goes to help the pair up.
Relief washes over you, then fades just as quickly as you remember where you are. You turn to face the table, and several stunned nobles are staring in your direction. “Something to add?” Cecil asks.
“No,” you mutter, embarrassed. You stay focused for the rest of the discussion, up until Paen begins assigning roles to the nobles to cover for his absence in the next few days. He asks Adam and Thrace to stay in Tartan to help make up the guard’s losses, until order can be restored. They agree.
At some point, servants come to clean the table. Eventually, the nobles and most of the officers are dismissed. A few remain behind as you begin your discussion of the upcoming fight. A general questions your plans, until Paen explains that you can’t send Carcina’s full army. “Horatio’s right on one count. If we attempt a full invasion, the Risen will continue to ravage the lands while we don’t have any troops to protect our citizens. We’ll take an elite team through a smaller village and attack the source of the Risen directly.”
The general eventually concedes his point, and begins discussing plans to reinforce various garrisons around Carcina. Mary idly flips through one of her spell tomes, while Rosalin and Cecil whisper back and forth. You try to keep up with the discussion, but quickly lose interest as the fatigue from the day hits you.
What seems like an eternity later, Paen concludes his business. At this point, the only light comes from the half-moon and a handful of candles. The general salutes, then retires. Paen only then seems to realize that the rest of you are still there. “Ah… Apologies that took so long. I should have told you you were free to go.” Mary shrugs as she gently closes her tome, then gracefully returns inside. Rosalin and Cecil stay behind. Paen signals his guard they’re free to leave as well, and they file out. Claudia joins them when Paen repeats the signal.
“Actually, we needed to speak with you,” Cecil begins. “You’re the absolute authority hereabouts, so you can do just about anything, right?”
“Within reason…” Paen answers apprehensively.
“Sure yer ready fer this, Cecil?” Rosalin asks.
“I’m not going to find another woman like you,” Cecil answers. “I’ve been around long enough to say that for sure. Tough, confident, not afraid to go after what she wants.”
“Ha! That’s one way ta’ put it. I’d’ve whalloped ya but good if ya’d tried to back out now.”
“You want me to wed the two of you?” Paen asks, raising an eyebrow.
“We’re still not sure how this is going to work. Either she’ll give her boat to Marv, or I’ll pass the reins of my mercenaries, or we’ll merge and become a mercenary… boat… thing,” Cecil explains.
“Maybe we’ll just toss the lot o’ it to the wind and run off, just the two o’ us.”
“But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that once you find someone you can trust to watch your back, you hang on to them. So I figure the same thing applies to finding someone you want to spend all your free time with.”
“This ol’ charmer’s gone an’ swept me off me feet,” Rosalin admits. “Honest, I never thought I’d be a marryin’ girl. Ain’t this just a turn o’ events?” She busts out into hearty laughter.
“Well, I wish the two of you luck,” Paen tells them as he leans over some parchment left from all the deal-making after dinner. A few seconds later, he presses a seal onto it and hands it to them. “There you go, all set.”
“None of the pomp and circumstance of a traditional wedding,” Cecil comments.
“You may kiss the bride,” Paen suggests, cracking a smile.
“Good enough fer me!” Rosalin says, wrapping her arms tight around Cecil’s neck.
You struggle to take your eyes off them, but their sheer enthusiasm is hard to ignore. If Paen hadn’t asked to speak with you privately earlier, you would have slipped out. After an uncomfortably long time, Paen clears his throat.
Cecil and Rosalin both take a half-step back. “Right, sorry, it looks like the two of you have something to discuss.”
“’sides, we got other places ta be,” Rosalin adds, a wicked grin on her face.
The two walk out of the candlelit throne room as if walking down the wedding aisle. The last remaining guards pull the door shut behind them as they leave, following the newlyweds. You’re left alone with Paen. He starts to walk into the throne room, and you follow. He changes his mind, instead heading back onto the balcony. He slumps into a chair with a groan, then turns to face over the balcony. You pull a seat next to his, copying his groan as you sit.
“I take it this isn’t an official meeting?” you ask after a few minutes.
“Nope,” he answers, stretching. “Just wanted to ask if you’d given any more thought to my proposal.”
“Which pro-“ you stop yourself, realizing what he means. “Oh. That proposal.”
“Yes, that proposal. I told you I’d give you a few days to decide.”
“I didn’t think you meant a week,” you answer. “With all the fighting, I haven’t had much time to really give it much thought.”
“Hm… I suppose it is a bit selfish, in the middle of all this, to be thinking about something like marriage. But I’d say we’ve earned a bit of selfishness, right?”
You shrug your shoulders. “I suppose. I mean… I know of you. I know you’re a trustworthy and honorable man, I know I can count on you in battle. I know you’ve a strong sense of justice. I… could see myself married to a man like that.”
“I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming,” Paen interjects.
“I still barely know you. We’ve had so little time together. I mean, time alone.” You can feel yourself turning red, remembering Cecil and Roslin’s display. “To get to know each other!” you blurt out to clarify.
Paen chuckles a bit, letting it fade into a sigh. “A promise, then. After this fighting’s over, you won’t just disappear on me. We’ll spend some real time together, not just a few moments stolen between risking our lives. Then you can decide.”
“A promise,” you answer. “I look forward to it.”
Paen extends his hand towards you, and you turn to shake it. You realize he wasn’t trying to seal the deal, and you try to smoothly switch to your other hand. Paen doesn’t comment, and you take his hand in yours. The two of you lean back in your seats, content to sit and watch the night sky in silence.
A bird’s song wakes you up, just as the sun begins to rise. You glance around, confused, before remembering the night before. Someone’s covered you in a blanket. Must’ve dozed off… You glance over, half-expecting to see Paen. You’re alone.
As you rise out of your chair, something falls out of your lap. You bend down and find a bouquet of red flowers, wrapped in a black ribbon. You find a small card tucked into it. “A promise.”
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Promote June to Dark Bride?
(A) Yes
(B) No
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Dark Bride
Weapons: Axe, Knife, Bow, Staff
Level 5 skill – Flourish – Increase critical hit chance for support attacks and double attacks
Level 15 skill – Edict – Provide all nearby units with a small boost to all stats
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Choose whether to begin the next the chapter from June’s or Doran’s perspective.
(1) June
(2) Doran
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