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Post by Ϛ The Inventor on Feb 24, 2010 19:43:22 GMT -5
"Ye shore this is th' ploice? Looks loike 'sabout ta fall down."
"Positive. You think someone like that would advertise their presence?"
"Yeh well, we don' even know 'e exists. Could be wasting o'r bloody toime, knockin' ovah some run-down joint."
"Or, alternatively, we could be walking into the most difficult fight of our lives. So cease your complaining and ready yourself."
"Yeh yeh yeh. Ye've nevah lost a foight in yer loife, 'n Oi'm ce'anly no push-ovah. We foind this goy, 'e's gewwin' down."
The vampire, the perfect image of one of Rice's creations, gave his companion, a cookie cutter punk rocker and also a lycan, a condescending look. "Were it so easy."
* * *
Two blurs exploded from the building, knocking the front door from its frame and disrupting an otherwise peaceful evening. One black and sleek as a calm sea at night, the other brown and furry, the both of them took off down the street at inhuman speeds and disappeared around the corner, leaving a distinct yipping noise echoing in the street.
A moment later, a man stepped out of the same building, regarding the broken door as though it were the foul leavings of a large beast. He propped the door up against its frame with a strange amount of ease, and then stepped out into the street, apparently making sure the blurs stayed gone.
His mutters of "have to move the whole place again" and "pretentious supernaturals" were quiet, but the empty street amplified the sounds enough for any amount of involvement other than passing interest would likely pick them up.
It was only when he turned back to the building that he noticed he was not alone.
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Post by dream on Feb 25, 2010 13:57:37 GMT -5
 --- i'll be there when you close your eyes ,.[/color][/size][/font] ( HOLD YOU TIGHT, SAY GOODNIGHT )[/center]
The woman swore, leering at the young woman in front of her, before pointing and cursing some more in Spanish as the doctor operated on her husband, who had been hit by a drunk driver, who was recovering from just a minor concussion. The nurse spoke quietly to the Puerto Rican, "You need to talk to her, tell her that he'll be just fine, she can speak about the lawsuit to him later." She opened her mouth to complain, but decided not to, and nodded, turning towards the Spanish woman, ranting and raving about suing the truck driver's company, as well as the hospital if her husband died. Placing a hand on the woman's arm calmly, the brunette spoke, "Pues, señora, usted esposo estará bien, tenemos que permitir los doctors hacer la operación en él, entonces pueden salvar la vida." the woman paused for a moment, and responded back, obviously still not very pleased, sighing, she added, pressing, "Espere, por favor. Espere por los niños." she grinned weakly, placing her hand on the woman's arm, and gesturing to her stomach, "Yo sé que sabes que estás concineta, entonces, se calme por favor para usted y sus bebes." she winked, having seen this woman's future of her husband being just fine, and two kids running around - at the same age too. Luckily, the woman calmed down, and she clocked out for the night, deciding not to stay on-call, wanting to go back to her place for the night and sleep. Though, she had awhile before she needed to do anything, and it was practically middle of the night, and on a Friday too. Even the better part.
At least it was her final year in the Academy. Finally, she'd be free. Smiling happily to herself, the young woman then quietly brushed back her hair, untying it from its low ponytail she had it in, letting it hang about her shoulders and more. Tilting her head, she regretted that she had decided to walk - especially at this time of night, but she really didn't worry that much, worst case was, she moved herself on the land beneath her feet, or just phased into a nearby building to get herself out of someone's reach. Heading along the mouth of an alley, she quickly rushed past it, instinctively phasing when she went through a mail box. Laughing weakly, she suddenly paused when she heard a bang! Jumping slightly, she looked around quietly, eyes narrowing, holding her purse tight, ready to defend herself if possible. She'd checked herself on her way home for her visions, she seemed to be fine. Then again, the future was always changing, after all.
Continuing along, the young woman headed along the pretty much empty street, before noticing a man leave a building, and mess with the door. Eyes followed his movements, as he then left it, she headed, directly in his foot prints, just because well - it was the way she was heading. Her heart jumped suddenly when he paused and turned, she was tempted to phase into the nearby building he'd just exited, but she doubted he'd appreciate that. Letting her mind wander, the young woman arched an eyebrow slightly, and stopped walking, feeling as if she'd gotten caught doing something she shouldn't have been doing. Brushing that feeling aside, muttering something in Russian, she started walking again, arching out slightly so she wouldn't bother the man - hopefully. Suddenly, her ears picked up the sounds of a few guys down the alley she was walking by. Startled, she yelped as one spotted her and darted. The moment his hands should have grabbed her arms, they went through, and the man fell to the ground. Smirking, she was glad she'd taken karate in Puerto Rico and here, she kicked his side and jogged off, letting a bullet phase through her as she did so, looking back, as she suddenly remembered the guy from the building. Hitting him, she gasped and fell back, hitting her butt on the concrete. Groaning slightly, she looked up, wide-eyed and spoke quickly, "I'm sorry! I...I wasn't looking where I was going."
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Post by Ϛ The Inventor on Feb 25, 2010 15:51:22 GMT -5
Originally, The Inventor only looked at the woman as though he were curious. She didn't look harmful, but those who sought him out were not always blatantly trying to do him a disservice, unlike that last pair of goons.
She did seem to be minding her own business, though, and he was ready to head back to the Workshop when he heard the commotion. He was not fond of muggers and criminals, but he hated guns. It was far too much power to be in the hands of such violent creatures; their lives were so short and so fragile, and yet they insisted on creating means of ending them even more quickly. If such people used these things to end their own lives, the problem would solve itself, but instead they were pointed at innocents and used to coerce.
Hearing the shot, he was ready to accept that there was nothing he could do for the woman, but she seemed to be unharmed, if a little distracted. He had her fixed in a curious gaze as he allowed her to run straight into him, her mind understandably elsewhere. He let her fall, but only because he had other things to attend to at the moment. Her apology was met with a thoughtful look and a neutral, "Hmm."
Then he disappeared, a puff of bright green smoke taking his place.
Nary a few seconds had passed before he was back again, displacing the lingering smoke with his body and those of two others, one of them holding a gun that was bent at an odd angle and both of them looking very confused.
"Apologize." It was not a suggestion, it was a command, and something in the power of his voice had the two thugs saying heartfelt 'sorry's without a second thought.
As soon as they'd finished, the three of them disappeared again, another puff of smoke mingling with the remnants of the first, only to again be displaced as The Inventor reappeared a second time, offering his hand to the woman on the ground.
"Oh, that's quite alright," he said with a smile, finally acknowledging her apology as he helped her to her feet. "I am quite unharmed. I think, if anything, I should apologize for not moving out of your way. Those who go toe-to-toe with a rhinoceros should expect to have their feet crushed, you know?"
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Post by dream on Feb 25, 2010 16:31:44 GMT -5
--- i'll be there when you close your eyes ,. [/color][/size][/font] ( HOLD YOU TIGHT, SAY GOODNIGHT )[/center]
On the ground, she suddenly felt very - small? Yes, that was a good word, and especially weak, in a way, though she knew she could hold her own on most people, she had a feeling not against this guy. Looking up wide-eyed when a puff of smoke appeared, her gut clenched, was he a teleporter or something? Watching in amazement, more or less, hearing his indifferent, quiet response, she was about to get up and scram, just when two of the guys from a few moments before appeared. One with the gun tilted awkwardly, she held up her hand, ready to slam a few good-sized rocks into his hand, knocking the gun up, that way he wouldn't be able to hit her or this guy she'd ran into. At least he didn't seem to be with them. Hearing the guy's voice, her stomach dropped to the ground, and flopped over, as if dead. It was a command, telling these two moronic fools to do as he said. Amazing, she thought silently, watching in awed silence as the bright green smoke faded slightly with his body when he'd reappeared. What was he? He couldn't be a gifted, she hadn't seen one like this before, then again, there was always a first time for everything.
Though, she hadn't seen this happen in her vision to see if she got home all right. Unfortunately it all changed, maybe she'd taken a slightly different route than she had planned...that was it. Her timing was all off, she was behind 10 minutes because of that angry woman about her husband. Figuring this problem out, she filed it away, in a way, as she realized she was still sitting on the ground, too stuned to move in a way. Surprised, she looked up when the guy suddenly reappeared, after three puffs of green smoke appeared, and the two guys vanished into thin air. Half-tempted to ask what had happened, seeing his hand, it took a second to register, before she eloquently accepted his hand and got up, brushing herself off slightly in the process. "Thank you..." she mused quietly. Smiling lightly he hadn't been with those goons, she added another thanks, just to let him know she was thankful that he had done that. Her curiosity spiked though, where had he taken them? No matter, they weren't their problems anymore. Zuleika paused and grinned shyly, "Yes, and not be able to outrun one either." Unless of course, said taunter had super-speed under their belt.
Glancing around, she then decided to ask, tucking some hair behind her ear, "If...if I may ask, where did they go?" Yes, that sounded better than, where did you take them? Definitely so much better. She smiled politely, feeling her slightly more curious and outgoing side show its face, as she offered him her right hand in a formal shake known for years, "I'm Zuleika by the way...Zuls or Alex, for my middle name is fine." she smiled weakly, her Puerto Rican accent coming through when she said her name. Tilting her head gently, she looked back towards his broken door, "I could probably help you with that, if you want me to, in a gesture of thanks."
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Post by Ϛ The Inventor on Feb 25, 2010 18:09:22 GMT -5
The Inventor brushed off the young woman's thanks with a wave of his hand, as though they were physical things that hung in the air around them, unwanted and taking up valuable space. When she persisted, however, he simply shrugged. He had not so much done what he had for her benefit as he had for his own sense of what was right; guns were smashed, people apologized for harming others (or trying to, as the case may be), life went on.
When the woman asked where the offensive men were, he puzzled for a moment over why she would possibly care. Did she think some harm had come to them by his hands? Did she care? "Friends of yours?" he inquired quizzically. He wasn't sure exactly how to answer her question, and it was while he was puzzling over this that she told him her name, which simply brought even more questions to his mind.
Deciding it was best to deal with things one at a time and in proper order, for a change, he brought the both of them a few blocks away, where the two men were sitting, confused and spouting gibberish, in a pile of trash (he thought it was a fitting location). He pointed to them, and once he was sure 'Zuleika' had seen them, brought them back to where they had been a moment ago.
They appeared, as should be expected by this time, in the puff of smoke they had left behind, but Zuleika would find that it was far from unpleasant to take in; it was a little like breathing minty vapour, but with a hint of electricity in its feel. "I'm sure some of those shiny police cars will find them at some point and maybe bring them to a jail or something," he explained, "but I mostly just put them somewhere not near me People like that have a gross aura. I would rather the company of someone who actually stinks; at least they can take a bath."
Remember they were in the middle of introductions, he came back to names. "Ah. You can call me... Well, you can call me whatever you want, but I go by The Inventor." Remembering her peculiar way of introducing herself alternately with her middle name, he thought for a moment, his index finger on his chin and his eyes to the skies. "I suppose my middle name is Vanzandt, if you wish to call me that." He normally did not go giving out his proper names, but he normally was not normal, either. Exceptions were created out of thin air, just like this one had been.
"And you're welcome to have a look at the door if you'd like," he commented offhandedly. He did not much care that it was broken, as he could probably fix it in a minute or so, but he felt it would be rude to decline her help. He doubted, though, that she had much experience with that sort of thing. Not doors, in general. His doors.
If Zuleika cared to take a closer look, she would find that not only was the door too heavy to move even by throwing her entire weight against it, but also that while from the side she was currently on it looked like a heavy wooden door, from the other side it looked like the glass door of a store or office building, with a hole smashed through it. Sticking anything through the hole would invariably end up with it sticking out the mail slot of the wooden door on the other side, a mind-bending affair.
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Post by dream on Feb 25, 2010 19:40:12 GMT -5
--- i'll be there when you close your eyes ,. [/color][/size][/font] ( HOLD YOU TIGHT, SAY GOODNIGHT )[/center]
She suddenly felt a profound sense of - uneasiness settle over her quietly. It felt like a thick blanket fell over her, and she couldn't escape, no matter how hard she tried. Nibbling her bottom lip slightly, the young woman blinked quietly when inquired if they had been friends of hers. She opened her lips for a brief moment and then spoke, "No, and never have been nor will be." She attempted to keep the malice out of her voice, but she couldn't. The thought of men attempting to control everything just disgusted her. Resisting the urge to just walk away and just go to sleep at home, but Zuleika decided against it. Her stomach lurched suddenly - slightly, as she then realized they were somewhere else. Wide-eyed, she spun around quickly, before she spun fully back around to see the guy still in front of her, and then the two men from before, confused and in a pile of trash. She scowled and flicked her finger slightly, just as they vanished, being teleported back to where she had been before. Quickly dropping the large hunk of earth she was about to slam into them, the woman acted casual.
Hearing him speak about the guys, she nodded solemnly. Keeping herself composed, the young woman smiled gently and it faded as she listened, hearing him give her his name. Then, he seemed to change his mind and go to his middle name - like she had. Well, either way she didn't care one way or another. The Inventor, she had to hand it to him, that was very original, though, her mind wandered. Why didn't he give himself a name? She'd only met one person before who didn't call themselves something besides a random thing, but that was because they aged very slowly. Was that the same reason for this guy? The woman hesitated, before hearing him say she could take a look at his door. See, she had her father to thank for most of the guy stuff she knew, he had believed - and still does - she and her twin brother should both know how to do handy stuff around the house. Nodding weakly, she approached his door, remaining silent, and placed her hand on the door, gauging how much strength she'd need. Pressing against it slightly, once she knew it was much heavier than it appeared, she flicked her hand, and a pair of slabs of heavy rock appeared, ready to obey. Quickly, she shoved the door back to where it was supposed to be, and mused, propping the slabs of rock against it neatly, "It was a relatively easy thing, you just need to drill the screws back in and you're done."
She phased through the door, nodding, but paused when she saw the other side of the door, and the inside of the building. Keeping her eyes from the inside of the place, she nodded solemnly before phasing back outside and looking to Inventor. "Yep, very easy." she reassured, and set one of the slabs back into the ground where it should be, and smoothed out the other area where the other slab (propped against the door) should be. Nodding quietly to herself, the brunette looked back to him quietly, deciding she might as well as not bother him anymore. "Well...thanks....again anyway, I won't bother you anymore." she mused, as she started to head away, but paused for a moment, realizing she was going in the wrong direction. Smiling softly to herself, she turned, eying The Inventor quietly, curiously for a brief moment, as if attempting to figure out who exactly, he was.
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Post by Ϛ The Inventor on Feb 25, 2010 20:28:39 GMT -5
The Inventor watched with mild curiosity as Zuleika approached his door, nodding sagely as she tested its weight. This he had expected. What came next, he had not.
As the Earth itself came to her aid and put his door back where it was meant to be, his notions of her not being human were confirmed, but more importantly, a smile grew slowly across his face. He had not been expecting such resourcefulness, and had suspected her offer of help was more of a gesture of thanks than anything that would actually be of use to him. He was pleasantly surprised that she made good on her offer.
The fact that she walked right through his door and seemed unconcerned with its almost magical properties only sweetened the pot, and by the time she made her way outside again, he was practically beaming.
"Few of your kind would have handled that so well. Look, you even fixed the ground up. Very nice!" he said, happily. "I must admit you surprised me. I'm so used to the company of fools I forget that not all mortals are extremely boring."
When it occurred to him that she seemed to be making ready to leave, he extended to her an offer. "Would you like to come inside? You could have a proper seat or a hot drink. I know your kind don't much enjoy the cold. Or I could bring you home right away if you're in a hurry, bypass any more of those gun-toting bozos who so like these neighbourhoods."
He was being uncharacteristically social, but hadn't noticed it quite yet.
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Post by dream on Feb 25, 2010 20:51:53 GMT -5
--- i'll be there when you close your eyes ,. [/color][/size][/font] ( HOLD YOU TIGHT, SAY GOODNIGHT )[/center]
Upon returning outside, her eyes fixated on The Inventor, just as she did so, her eyes landed on his lips - he was smiling. All right, she was a usual empathic person, and his smile just made her want to smile all the more. Eyes squinted slightly with her smile, showing it was a genuine one. Letting it slowly fade, so she just didn't stand there like a girl seeing her favorite crush or band for the first time, she straightened her small stature. Hearing his comment, Alex smiled lightly, and responded, "Uh...thanks. I certainly like to think I'm not a fool." allowing a light grin to fall on her features, to let him know she was playing around, the brunette shifted slightly, as if attempting to get comfortable. She honestly did feel - safe in a way around The Inventor, even if he didn't have a name, she liked Inven, no idea why, but either way, if he preferred one name over the other, she would definitely follow his preference out of respect (something she had for everyone), and call him what he wanted her to call him. Alex opened her mouth to speak, but The Inventor beat her to the punch, and she promptly closed her mouth, listening to his sudden offer.
Go inside, a new, random place with him and a drink? Or just go home? It was Friday after all, and she didn't really ever need to go to class much anymore, with it being her last year there and all. She couldn't help but take him up on it, why wouldn't she? "I'd love to come in as long as I don't over-stay my welcome." she commented, holding out her arm for him to hold onto, "Just one step for us." she explained, smiling weakly, feeling a random vision swim in her thoughts. But no, she subdued it, smothering it as she offered for The Inventor to take her arm, to see what it felt like to phase through solid objects, the rock and door for example. Granted, she had to do it rather quickly, or else she would get stuck between the two things for a few before she could do anything about it. Offering him a weak smile, once the two were inside, one way or another, Alex eyed the door curiously, but quickly reverted her attention back to The Inventor, feeling her voice fail her.
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Post by Ϛ The Inventor on Feb 26, 2010 13:21:25 GMT -5
Something twinkled, or maybe flashed, in The Inventor's eyes. "Few people like to think they are," he said, and though he didn't voice his opinion, he considered those who revelled in foolishness his favourite sort of people. It was the fools who believed they were something else who were the real problem, and, generally speaking, those who thought they were and were not, or thought they were not and were right, were all gathered somewhere in the middle, average.
Normally average equated to boring, in his mind, but he and this one had already crossed the Boring Bridge and were just getting started on a tour of Possibly Interesting, so he was past that line of thinking.
He smiled knowingly when she spoke of overstaying her welcome. "I will be sure to notify you if that is ever the case," he said, and although the words could not have sounded more jovial, he was being quite serious. He saw no reason why he shouldn't inform her immediately if this was the case. He certainly wouldn't hold his tongue if she insisted on moving in or something ridiculous.
When she offered him her arm, he stared at it for a moment, puzzling over what exactly was going on, but eventually some residual memory surfaced and his hand found her arm almost automatically. This, of course, left him still wondering what was happening, but in a decidedly more advantageous situation, socially.
When they began moving, and eventually passed right through his front door, he came to realize what exactly the point to all it had been. Phasing. Interesting, if a little inefficient. He supposed it could be useful, and indeed he could probably manage the same effect if he tried, being made of energy, but he found teleportation to be much less time consuming. Still, phasing had sort of a quaint feel to it that he had to admit he sort of enjoyed.
Before his door had been replaced, the empty frame would have led to a building suiting the decor of the outer door; drab, run-down, and empty. But now that it was replaced, they had stepped into a reception room that fitted the look of the inner glass door perfectly; white, bright, and clinical; a minimal counter immediately to the right with only a bell on its surface and a door squatting behind it, while a set of enormous and imposing metal double doors were straight ahead.
"Hmm." The Inventor looked around the bare room. "I'll need a minute to get something to sit on. I don't generally entertain. Well, I can be very entertaining if I feel like it, but that's not what I mean. What, if anything, would you like to drink? Are you hungry? I'm a horrible cook. Always burn everything. But I might have something dry lying around."
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Post by dream on Feb 26, 2010 19:21:52 GMT -5
--- i'll be there when you close your eyes ,. [/color][/size][/font] ( HOLD YOU TIGHT, SAY GOODNIGHT )[/center]
Listening to The Inventor's comment, she smiled weakly, before looking around quietly, before she then blinked, and paused as she took in the sights of the building they were now in. What she wanted to know though, was what was going through this guy's head right now. Like, what he thought of her, of those men, though he'd already told her that. Alex heard him speak about him telling her if it would ever be the case. She smiled weakly and mused quietly to herself, looking around the vacant room silently. It was interesting, needless to say, how different things inside seemed so different than they were outside. All an illusion, like the ones she knew her brother could do.
Alex smiled politely when he began to speak, with one hand in her pants pocket, she spoke lightly, "Don't worry about it, and no, I'm just fine...thank you though."
[/color] she grinned, reassuring him. Usually, back in Puerto Rico though, it was considered rude if you didn't accept food or drinks that the host offered you. Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Alex turned quietly back to The Inventor and mused, "Ah, don't worry about burning stuff, I used to burn stuff until I was 12."[/color] she smiled lightly, playfully in a way almost. What was on the tip of her tongue now was, what he was, exactly. A Gifted? No, he seemed to...mature? In a way, yes, there was something about him though that she couldn't quite place, and it was beginning to get quite bothersome. Scowling slightly, when The Inventor couldn't see it, the Puerto Rican muttered something in Russian quietly to herself. Regaining her composure quickly, she looked around and inquired, "Do you live here...then?"[/color] She knew there was more to it, obviously, but she was just curious if this was like a work area for him, or one of the many places where he would live. She just hoped she wasn't stepping over any boundaries. Staying her distance from him and his belongings politely, Zuleika added, "Feel free not to answer any questions I may randomly ask."[/color] her eyes landed on his, ones she could tell in some way, held tons of secrets. Too bad she couldn't see into the past, only the near future and beyond especially, but it depended on who or what. Most of the time just a general future, or her own or someone else's. Unfortunately it could sometimes lead to her friends asking if they'd pass an upcoming test. Landing her gaze on The Inventor, Zuleika kept her hands to herself, her natural curiosity already burning a hole through her mind. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/font] |
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Post by Ϛ The Inventor on Feb 28, 2010 19:54:19 GMT -5
Pausing only to give Zuleika a strange look — who turned down a hot drink? — The Inventor disappeared for a second or two, a table, two chairs, and a tea set in tow when he returned, forgoing the usual puff of smoke both coming and going. The reason for this may have been that the pair of them were indoors, or maybe he didn't want to smell up the tablecloth. Both, and an infinite amount of other possibilities, were equally as likely; he may even have simply forgotten about it.
"I think twelve years old may have been the first time I burned something," The Inventor mused as he busied himself with the tea set. Whether or not this was accurate was questionable — it would be a miracle if he could recall with any amount of clarity a time so long ago.
The table and chairs occupied the empty space to the left where commissions and assorted odds and ends would sit in cardboard boxes, but it was, at the time, completely empty of such things. Zuleika wouldn't know it, but the reason for this was that the men who had invaded his Workshop had decided to smash up the delicate looking items when they found they couldn't get through the double doors and into his Workshop proper.
"You don't have to drink anything if you don't want to, but I enjoy a spot of tea on the rare occasion I have company," he explained, pouring a sickening amount of sugar into his china cup. It was at about this time that he heard, for the second time, what he thought was Russian, though he hadn't quite made out the words.
"Ah! Vy govorite po-russki? Ya nemnogo govoru po-russki. Ya nemnogo govoru po-vsyo, ia polagaiu.*" His accent was non-existent; it would be impossible to tell him from a native Russian. (Even though his roleplayer doesn't speak a word and could be calling Zuleika's uncle a pig for all he knows.) It was clear that he had more than a little practice with the language.
Taking a seat himself, and offering the other to Zuleika with a short gesture, he formulated an answer to her question. "Not right here, no. Some might say I live upstairs, but I spend most of my time in there," he said, pointing to the enormous metal doors. He didn't say anything to her giving him permission not to answer his questions; he had felt free to ignore questions long before this one was even born. He did, however, nod. If she asked him something he didn't feel like answering, he simply wouldn't answer it — she simply hadn't crossed a line yet.
*"You speak Russian? I speak a little Russian. I speak a little everything, I suppose."
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