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Tweak says, "You'll always be young."

chargecard (chargecard) wrote in no_good_deed,
@ 2010-12-20 17:40:00

Entry tags:

complete, old pc: gambit, rogue

Who: Remy and Rogue
What: Talking and hopefully not being attacked by crazy people again.
When: Forward dated to the afternoon of 12/24.
Where: St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the Garden District, New Orleans
Rating: PG (?)

Leaning against the tall white pillar at the entrance to the cemetery, Remy took a long drag of his cigarette. It was a somewhat morbid place to meet someone, but he figured two things. One – it was a tourist attraction, so the odds of suddenly being attacked again by some crazed mutant were slim, and two – If hedid get attacked, at least they wouldn’t have to move his body very far. Checking the time on his phone, he glanced up the street. He was early, but that didn’t stop him from looking for her. It had been nearly two weeks since they’d met, and he had almost completely dismissed the encounter. She had his number, but as the days went on, it seemed less and less likely that she would ever call. He didn’t really expect her to, either. People had a tendency to not always follow up once they saw him using peanuts to knock people off of bar stools.

He considered himself lucky that she did take up his offer to talk about what had happened, even though he was still a little bit wary, given the whole sudden appearance of a mysterious woman who wanted to grill him immediately on his powers part of the evening. Anna herself seemed like good people. In fact, the other woman didn’t exactly strike him as anything close to evil either, but he was still paranoid. He flicked the butt of the cigarette to the sidewalk and ground it out with his foot, then looked up as a man in a carriage pulled up to wait for someone to come out of the cemetery and decide that they were in a romantic buggy ride type of mood.

“Fine animal you got there,” he commented, nodding toward the man’s horse. The man smiled in response as he dismounted and grabbed the feed bag. The carriage was all decked out for the holidays with tinsel and great big gaudy red bows, and Remy smiled at the man one more time before turning to head into the cemetery. He stopped just inside the gate at the plaque, where a group of tourists were attempting to take a picture with it, and offered to take it for them so they could all be in frame. After assuring them jokingly that he wasn’t going to steal their camera, he stepped back to take the picture then handed the camera back and moved in to read the inscription on the plaque.

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chargecard
2010-12-24 06:32 am UTC (link)

"Nothin' at all," he repeated, grinning right back down at her. He held her gaze for a few moments, still grinning. It was a damn good thing that nothing at all happened, because he'd honestly not had the slightest clue if it actually would have been okay if something had happened. It was a gamble, and thankfully it seemed like he'd bet right.

She pulled away to scratch at her neck, and he smiled, hands returning to his pockets. "Non," he grinning as he joked, "looks like you can keep your body uncovered for now."

He had to admit that he was a little bit curious to find out what exactly happened when she used her powers, but he wasn't going to press it and ask more. Not then, at least. He blinked hard again, frowning. Something... had to be the air, was irritating the hell out of his contacts, and that was not good. He hummed an affirmative sound at the question,rubbing again for good measure before deciding he'd deal with it later. Besides, she was inviting him back to her place, and while it didn't necessarily mean anything, it sure was more exciting than a little slipping silicone. He grinned at her attempt to make the situation seem less awkward, shaking his head as she turned to face him again.

"Non... like I said, my plans mostly have t' do with listening to family hollering. I can put that off." With a nod, he tugged at the corner of his eye again. "'Sides, my contacts are killing me. It'd be nice to take them out. They don't like this weather."

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nosouthernbelle
2010-12-24 06:32 pm UTC (link)

"C'mon with me then. I'm only a few blocks down." She turned and Headed slowly back down the path they'd traveled. glad Remy seemed to understand she was feeling weird. It made her feel a little less so to know it wasn't just her. As they walked, she tried to remember if her house was even picked up. Not that she was a messy person by any stretch, but with company and nothing to do, a person could tend to get lazy. Thankfully she did recall making sure everything was clean and in order in case she should make the rush decision to just up and leave.

"When I was a kid we had this tradition on Christmas Eve to watch Raiders of The Lost Arc, drink hot chocolate and play Sorry or somethin' afterward." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Right? That's the one with the monkey brains?" She shook her head, smirking. "I don't even know how that tradition started but we did it every year. You and your family have any weird traditions like that?" It was fun to hear what other families did to celebrate holidays.

Her house really wasn't all that far away. It wasn't grand, but it was a fair size. Her front door had a wreath on it and garland wrapped around the banister. Rogue unlocked the door and let Remy into her kitchen. It was odd to have the front door there, but she liked that it was different. It was warm and decorated in warmer tones, nothing seemingly out of place, save the single wine glass in the sink.

As Rogue pulled her scarf off, Rogue nodded toward the stairs down the hall that led up to the second floor. "I'll take your coat, sir. bathroom's upstairs, middle door. The other two are bedrooms so if you get lost, I'm pretty sure you can find your way again." She dropped her scarf and coat onto the coat rack behind the front door. "Want anythin' to drink?"

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chargecard
2010-12-24 07:07 pm UTC (link)

He smiled, nodding as they headed out of the cemetery and back toward her house. He was ever so slightly nervous about the potential bad reaction to his eyes when he took the contacts out, but he pushed it aside. He was positive that she wasn't part of some government task force sent out to capture anyone, and she already knew that he was a mutant, so if she had a problem with it... well, she'd have to get over it.

"Temple of Doom," he corrected, nodding. "That's the one with the monkey brains. Lost Ark is the one with the melting Nazis." He'd seen both when they were still out in theaters, but realized that it was probably best to keep that little bit of age-related information to himself, all things considered. Shrugging, he chuckled a little bit.

"My family's got all kinds of weird traditions you don't even want to hear about." There were even a couple he wished he didn't know about. "Christmas though... non, nothing too crazy."

They were at her door sooner than he expected, and he held it open for her, then followed in, taking a good look at the place as he shrugged off his coat. He turned his attention back to her when she offered to take it, and he smiled, digging out the case for his contacts before handing it over. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Sure. Surprise me," he nodded, heading toward the bathroom. "But don't surprise me too much, henh?" Grinning, he headed up the stairs. "Back in a minute."

It took him less than thirty seconds to pop both of the lenses out, and he blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to having a full range of vision again. After screwing the cap back on the lens case, he washed his hands and tucked it into his pants pocket, then headed back downstairs to the kitchen. "So," he started, deciding to just flat leave out the subject of his eyes, "Two bedrooms. You got a roommate?"

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nosouthernbelle
2010-12-25 01:53 pm UTC (link)

As Remy disappeared upstairs, Rogue hung his coat on the rack with hers before turning the heat on under the kettle on the stove. She blew a puff of air between her lips, glancing at the stairs and wondering what the hell she was doing. She never invited anyone to her house, no matter the circumstances. At least not usually.

Deciding it was certainly chilly enough to warrant a fire, Rogue went into the living room and crouched before her fireplace. It wasn't one of those fancy ones that a person could start with a remote. No, this one had to be loaded with wood like any normal fireplace and then lit by hand. She was stacking the wood on top of a fire-starter log when she heard Remy coming down the stairs. "No roommate," she told him, using a long nosed candle lighter to ignite the wood. "Guest room." She stood up and pulled the grate across the open mouth of the fireplace. "Ro was the first to use it." Brushing her hands off on her jeans, she turned to face Remy and paused as soon as she let his eyes.

"Well I'll be." Red eyes were not a thing she was used to seeing, but it was certainly not the most unusual thing she'd come across before. Still, she took a step closer and looked at him curiously. "You just get more interstin' by the minute, don't you?" She thought of Scott, though his powers were different from Remy's. His vision had been effected by his eyes and it was impossible not to wonder. "Does it change how you see things? Is everythin' all red? I only ask 'cause I had a friend who had eyes sorta similar...not really, but..." She laughed, crossing her arms. "Very interestin'."

The fire had caught well, and warmth was seeping out into the room. Rogue spared the fireplace a glance to make sure the pyramid of wood had not fallen and nothing had to be shoved back in. "I guess I can give you the grand tour. You already saw the kitchen and the upstairs. This is my living room, and in there is my...other room." It wasn't exactly an office, but it wasn't what it was supposed to be, either."

"The guy who owns this place lived here for awhile. He opened up the living room to the dining room with this big arch. But seein' as I don't have company often, I decided to turn the dining room into somethin' a little more useful." She led Remy under the archway and into a room that was a mixture of things. Her Christmas tree was in this room, suggesting she spent more time here than in the living room. Off to one side was a desk with a computer, on the other, an accustic guitar sat in a stand and a black baby grand piano kept it company. "Nothin' grand, but it's home."

There were pictures on the walls in here, and Rogue moved to take one down. She presented it to Remy with a nostalgic smile. "This was taken the year before Xavier died." It was a group shot of as many students as the mansion had then, as well as all the staff and instructors. Everyone was smiling, except for maybe Logan who had his arms crossed and, at best, had a tolerant grimace on his face. Xavier sat in the direct middle, looking very proud.

The kettle started to scream and Rogue looked up from the picture. "Hang on a sec." She ran to the kitchen to make two mugs of hot tea, feeling a lot more relaxed now that she was in her own home.

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chargecard
2010-12-25 10:09 pm UTC (link)

He was smirking only slightly when she announced that the other room was a guest room, and as he opened his mouth to inquire whether or not she had a lot of guests, she answered the question on her own. Halfway, at least. Just because the guest room didn’t get used, didn’t necessarily mean she didn’t have any guests. When she caught sight of his eyes, he straightened up slightly an opened them a little bit wider, smile still in place.

Remy had gotten used to people wanting to get a good look at them, and it didn’t bother him in the least that she was so interested in them. They were interesting, and as far as physical mutations went, he considered himself incredibly lucky.

“Yeah, bein’ much too interesting is a problem I have,” he replied with a smile. “Workin’ on it.” He laughed softly when she asked about them, shaking his head. “Nah, don’t see red. See better than most folks in the dark, though. Ain’t night vision or anything like that. It’s just a little bit easier for me than it is for most. ‘Course, sunlight hurts ‘em more... so it evens out.”

He pushed off from the wall to follow her for the grand tour, smiling as she got the entire tour out in one sentence. It was about what the tour of his place would have been like, and he followed her into the Other Room, eyes sweeping the room as she explained how the landlord had changed it all around. He walked past the tree, reaching to toy with one of the ornaments idly. “Grand ain’t all it’s cracked up to be anyway. It’s nice.”

When Marie handed him a picture, he moved away from the tree to take it, scanning the faces. He couldn’t help but crack a smile when he recognized Wolverine, looking cheerful as always. It was strange, seeing him with the group. Maybe Xavier had picked him up that day on the island. Remy had high-tailed it out of there pretty fast and never really found out what had happened to Logan after. He tilted his head slightly as he looked over the photograph, and when Marie excused herself to go see to a whistling teapot in the kitchen, he followed slowly, leaning again in the doorway, picture still in hand.

“Weird, thinkin’ how close I came to all’a this, without every actually being part of it,” he mused, glancing up at her, then back down at the photograph. Smiling, he held it up for comparison. “Your hair’s different.”

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nosouthernbelle
2010-12-26 03:35 pm UTC (link)

She laughed quietly as she handed Remy a steaming mug of jasmine tea. "Hence the contacts. I can understand not wantin' to walk around without 'em, 'specially in your line of work." She sipped her tea with a mischievous smile. Seeing better in the dark than most probably came in real handy as well. "I like this better than the contacts." That meant he felt as though he could trust her, and though she wasn't sure what had made him feel that way, Rogue was glad of it. There was a comfort in knowing someone else knew her secret, at least in part, and she knew something of his secrets as well. Made her feel less alone.

"Grand is not all it's cracked up to be," she agreed with a nod. "I grew up in Mississippi with parents who helped me learn to appreciate even the small luxuries in life. I got so used it it that being at the mansion for three years almost made me feel lost in the grandeur of it all." It was nice, not having to worry about a majority of the things she and her parents worried about at home, but it never really felt right. "C'mon in and sit down."

She went back into the living room and sat down on one of the two couches, choosing the one that faced the fireplace. Now the room was comfortably toasty, and she could feel tension leaving her as conversation came more easily. "Brown and white," she said distractedly. "I like it better this way." More importantly, what Remy seemed to say so casually about coming close to what it was he saw in the picture had raised at least a dozen or so questions in her mind.

"Do you mean because of Xavier tryin' to get you up there to the school?" She tried to picture Remy there, imagine how he'd fit in to the sometimes all too chaotic life that surrounded everyone at Xavier's. "Here I've been blatherin' on about me and haven't really let you get a word in edgewise."

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chargecard
2010-12-27 02:11 am UTC (link)

“Hence the contacts,” he echoed, nodding his thanks as she handed him the mug. He just returned the smile when she commented on his line of work. If she’d figured things out on her own, that was just fine but he wasn’t about to admit to anything. He gave her a wider grin at the comment about liking his eyes without the contacts, then went about blowing softly on the tea to try to cool it. It was a good thing she hadn’t gone screaming from the house. He looked at her as she described her feelings on grandness in general, nodding in agreement. His own experiences had been nothing like that, but he could definitely see where she was coming from.

He followed her in and plopped down on the couch next to her, setting the picture carefully on the table after pointing out the hair difference. It was hard to really tell just how different it was, other than the obvious white in the front, but she clarified for him. Smiling, he leaned back and asked, “Which one’s the dye job?”

“That, oui,” he nodded. “But also just… when this was taken, I was probably working for the man. I just never got close to this.” He gestured at the group again, shrugging. “Ain’t saying it’s bad or I regret anything, but it’s interesting to think about what all else was goin’ on at the same time and how close it all was without ever actually coming together.”

“Sometimes it’s best if I don’t get to talk. Gives me less of a chance to jam my foot in my mouth.” He took a sip of the tea and smiled. “But I suppose if you really want me to start talking, I could oblige. What you want me to talk about?”

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nosouthernbelle
2010-12-27 03:44 pm UTC (link)

"My hair is naturally brown," she told him, gaze flickering to the picture that had been set aside. "The white was...a gift." There was no other way to put it, really. She didn't feel like going into the whole being kidnapped by Magneto thing for various different reasons. Maybe if their friendship somehow continued after tonight, when she was gone, it would be something shared. She trusted Remy enough to tell him, but didn't see a point in it just yet. "I went red when I moved here. Kinda like a new beginnin', you know?"

Rogue couldn't help the wistful smile that lightened her expression every time she looked at that picture. It was a symbol of all the good memories she kept close. Xavier had been special to her, though she'd never really told him or expressed as much. "If I've learned anything about the prfessor it was that he had his hands in just about everythin' imaginable, ab' somehow kept it all straight. Maybe that life wasn't supposed to be for you then." She took a sip of her tea. "I ain't all that spiritual or nothin' but I do believe everythin' happens for some reason or another. May not always know the reason till a whole lot later, but the reason's there."

She set her mug down on the coffee table and pulled her legs up to be more comfortable. Grinning at Remy's statement, she shook her head. "I think I've done enough of that for both of us, startin' the night we met." She was curious about his life and had a few questions popping into her thoughts. Picking one to start, she rested her head on the back of the couch. "When did you find out you were a mutant?" Her own story was not a pleasant one, nor was it something she would share with just anyone so she was open to the possibility of his not wanting to share.

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chargecard
2010-12-27 06:31 pm UTC (link)

He nodded at the explanation, glancing from the picture back to her. The red was nice, but so was the brown and white, and he smiled. "I like 'em both. But I definitely understand wanting to make a fresh start."

Chuckling, Remy raised an eyebrow over his mug. The professor definitely did have his hands in all kinds of things that Remy was sure neither of them even knew about. Fate was all fine and dandy, and he definitely agreed with it to some degree, but he was also a fan of mixing things up and trying to throw fate for a loop. "Well, I got a habit of takin' things that aren't supposed to be mine anyway. So who knows."

"No, no... night we met, you told me to try the poppers. That was solid advice." He smiled and sat the tea down on the table with a shrug. "Dunno if you noticed, but I got this constant case of red eye. Had it since I was born. Wasn't really hard to figure it out from there."

"Rest of it... weren't really that memorable. Made some things explode accidentally when I was probably about thirteen. Worked out how to make 'em only do it when I wanted them to." It wasn't nearly as dramatic as some of the other stories he'd heard from people, but he liked it better that way. The dramatic version would have most likely involved full scale destruction and potentially death, and that wouldn't have been worth having the story to tell.

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nosouthernbelle
2010-12-28 12:51 am UTC (link)

"I wasn't sure if it was something you were born with or not." She looked into his eyes again, fascinated for reasons she couldn't quite pinpoint. Rogue had seen her share of oddities in mutants, Nightcrawler being the most prominent in her mind. "I once knew a German mutant who was all blue an' had pointy ears. Had weird bump-like tattoos all over his body, too. Weirdest thing I ever saw but he saved my life. I'll never forget that." Come to think of it, a good few people had saved her life in the past.

"What about your family? Were they acceptin' of it, or was that how you got Xavier's attention?" She picked up her tea again to take a drink and smiled sheepishly. "Tell me if I'm askin' too many questions or the wrong ones an' I'll shut up."

Laying her head down on the back of the couch had been a mistake. Lighting a fire to warm the room probably hadn't helped any either. As she sat there listening, Rogue could feel the weariness take a stronger grip on her body. She drank more of her tea in the hope that it would wake her up. There was no doubt in her mind that if she asked Remy to go so she could sleep that he would. She just didn't want him to. She didn't want to sleep until there was no putting it off any longer.

"I know you said you hadn't heard from Xavier for awhile, but did you know him well before that? Did you ever meet anyone from the mansion?"

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chargecard
2010-12-28 06:32 am UTC (link)

“Far as I know, had ‘em my whole life.” He settled back more on the couch, listening intently as she described another mutant she’d known. A blue German with pointy ears and strange tattoos. Sounded like an interesting guy, to say the least. He grinned at her, took another sip of his tea, set it down and then replied, “Don’t worry. You ask me too many or ask the wrong things and I’ll let you know right away.”

“My family was more than accepting,” Remy nodded. “They knew I was a mutant before they even got me. Don’t know if they knew I was gonna be able to blow things up when I got older, but they was well aware that I at least had a physical mutation. I got Xavier’s attention... later. A lot later, well past when I got my powers.” The amusement disappeared from his face for a moment, but he managed to smile again before adding, “And that brings us to the ‘don’t really wanna talk about it now’ chapter of the illustrious life of Remy LeBeau.”

Nice as Marie was, he didn’t like to talk about his time in captivity with people he barely knew. It had taken him years to be able to really talk about it even with his closest kin. “I known the man for a long time. Longer than you’d believe. We weren’t real close, but we trusted each other... he never introduced me to any of his students, though. Plausible deniability, ‘case I got caught. It’d be harder to cover something up if I had ties to them.”

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nosouthernbelle
2010-12-28 04:27 pm UTC (link)

Before they even gt me. It sounded like Remy was adopted, though it was just a guess. It made Rogue glad to know there were still people in the world that would take in a child who was different from normal children. It meant not all civilization had turned black and white on the subject of mutants. "Sounds like you had good parents." She saw the smile slip and realized they'd crossed into uncomfortable territory. When Remy said he didn't want to go into the part of his life that involved Xavier, she was not going to press the issue.

"I know this is gonna sound like it's comin' way outta left field, but if you were interested in visitin' the professor's monument, I wouldn't be adverse to the company." The idea kept floating around the edge of her thoughts and rather than not even bother to entertain the idea, Rogue figured just laying it out and letting Remy make the decision would be best. She'd feel safer knowing she wasn't alone, but that was something she wouldn't give voice to. it sounded too damsel-in-distress for her tastes.

"I'm thinkin' I'll stay around for a few more days. Give my landlord a chance to find someone to stay here while I'm gone. Maybe head up to be there on New Year's an' surprise Ro." And everyone else still at the school. That was really what was holding her back. The feeling she got of abandoning people when she'd left and cut ties. Mostly with Bobby. There was no one else left that she felt any sort of connection to, besides Logan. To think he'd stayed there all this time would have been a foolish hope. He was a wanderer by nature. Who knew where he'd be?

"Just a thought," she offered, trying to hide a yawn behind her tea cup. "I figured I'd drive up seein' as I'm not a real big fan of flyin'." It would be a long drive, eighteen hours if she'd done her research right. Flying just wasn't an option for her. Flying the Blackbird that one time had scarred her for life.

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chargecard
2010-12-28 07:31 pm UTC (link)

Remy had had good parents. Well, parent. Jean-Luc had given him everything he could have possibly wanted, and more. If the guild hadn’t found him and brought him into their crazy world, Remy would have probably been knocked around the system until he’d turned eighteen. Not many people would even want a kid who was obviously a mutant. Jean-luc had given him more than just a home, he’d given him a giant extended family full of people who Remy knew he could trust with just about anything.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled when she mentioned that she was heading up North and wouldn’t mind having company for it. Sometime during the course of their conversation, it seemed, she’d made up her mind. Heading up for New Years as a nice surprise for the white haired lady in charge of the place. He went ahead and assumed that beyond that, it was because she was still far more worried about her situation than she was letting on.

“Miss Marie,” he started teasingly, hand going lightly to his chest. “We only just met and you already inviting me home to meet the family. We ain’t even had our first kiss.” Dropping the semi-scandalized proper Southern lady act, he grinned and added, “Must have done somethin’ right.”

He thought about it for a moment, weighing the options. He always had wanted to walk through the front door of that place. Of course, he’d also miss a big party by skipping out of town for New Years, but there would be other parties. And how could he say no to an eighteen hour drive in the dead of winter?

“You sure you don’ want to fly? I got a plane.” It wasn’t exactly the kind of plane that people who were afraid of flying would ever feel even remotely comfortable in, but he might as well make the offer anyhow. “I could get us there pretty fast. Ain’t against a road trip if it’s what you want, but it’s another option if you don’t want to spend almost a full day’s worth of driving.”

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nosouthernbelle
2010-12-28 11:08 pm UTC (link)

She grinned, not sure if she was blushing or if the heat in the room hadn't suddenly intensified. "Well, you know. Can't resist a beautiful pair of eyes." She had to admit there was certainly an attraction there. She'd felt it the night they'd met but brushed it off as just another casual encounter with a good looking man. If anyone had told her what would transpire after his drink had been served, she would have laughed.

"They usually throw a real big party on New Year's if I remember right. Lots of kids don't have good homes to go to an' some of 'em stay just because it feels more like home than home does." Gaze wandering absently, Rogue looked at the flames wrapping red and gold fingers around the burning wood. She could almost picture the mansion all covered in snow, lights everywhere. It usually took a stern teacher or adult to order the Christmas tree to finally be taken down and decorations put away for the next year. She was a little excited to see that live vision of the snow globe she kept in her mind of the place.

When Remy mentioned his ability to get them there sooner, Rogue shuddered. "Let me tell you a story. When I was sixteen, I went on a mission with a handful of others to a place in Canada called Alkali Lake. My boyfriend-at-the-time and I were told to stay in the jet while everyone else went inside to play hero. Long story short, the jet had to be moved because the entire place was gonna be flooded. That left Bobby an' me to fight over who was gonna do it. Now, I don't know if you'll believe this or not, but I can be a pretty stubborn brat when I set my mind to it. I sat myself in the driver's seat...pilot's seat...whatever, and I tried to fly that thing. Tried bein' the key word there. I tell you what, I never went anywhere in that jet if I didn't have to. Scared the livin' daylights outta me. Ro had to literally peal my hands off the controls."

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