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Outside Houghmagandy
Topic Started: Jan 7 2008, 01:28 AM (2,496 Views)
Harmony Lopiparo
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Harmony had turned around and was walking back to her house in derision of Ella, but then she found herself crumpled onto the ground, staring at the sky. She stayed there, just staring blankly at the clouds, in the same position she landed in. Eventually she got back up to change her clothes in her room.
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Sam Morvanna
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Sam had to actually work up the courage to actually venture out to investigate the leads she had come up. After the first two addresses failed with either a door slammed in her face or someone politely telling her she was wrong, she was anxious about the third. Anxious but knowing that one had to be it. She had already checked Morvanna Manor weeks ago and went directly to his room only to find it nearly completely empty.

Of course that made no sense to her, but then again maybe he had succeeded in getting out from under David's shadow. No one had been at Morvanna Manor now that she thought about it, but usually, if she recalled right, they were all out doing something. For all she knew there might have been some death-eater meeting and she had wrong timing.

Sam expected a flat instead of a true house though, but she didn't note it as anything odd. She was all smiles actually as she came up to the door, pocketing the paper with the addresses on it first, and knocked twice.
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Harmony Lopiparo
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The girls had just finished their baths and Harm was helping them put on their nightgowns and comb their hair when she heard the door knock. The girls had arranged for them to have a 'movie night' but considering the movies they chose tended to be long, Harm always called it a "pajama party" instead to make it easier to put them to bed after they'd fallen asleep mid-movie. Sometimes one of the girls or the other would still be awake, but too tired to be changed anyways.

Dante was putting the boys down, a feat that usually took about the same time it'd take for the girls to be ready as well.

"You girls finish getting yourselves ready for bed and then go downstairs and pick out a movie, alright? Daddy will be down in a little while, I'm just going to see who's at the door."

She dropped kisses on both of their damp little heads and jogged down the stairs, randomly noting that it was a lot easier now that she wasn't carrying. The baby fat was slowly being worked away between breast feeding and running after all four kids, and she was grateful.

Harm opened the door, and seeing no one she recognized, she politely smiled, "Can I help you?"
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Sam Morvanna
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Being as convinced as she was that it would be Dante who opened the door, she was completely let down when it wasn't. It was a sinking feeling instead as she looked at the woman who had opened the door. She wasn't smiling anymore, but instead she didn't show any emotion at all. Probably because she was trying to process it. Wrong house. That was it. Just the wrong house. The leads were a dead end then.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sam said first as she attempted to at least look a little less depressed than she felt. "I must have the wrong address. I was looking for Dante Morvanna."

Same old lines repeated now for what felt like the millionth time. Address after address only to end up nowhere. England as a whole was big and there was lots of places he could have moved to, but she knew he wouldn't have really moved too far from home. It just didn't make sense. She was sure this was just another dead end and it was downright disappointing. She just wanted her answer that came with every opened door that she was right, and then she could go home.
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Harmony Lopiparo
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Harm looked at the impassive woman, closing the door a little bit more behind her to cut off view of her house. She wasn't sure what it was, but instinctively that was her reaction. She paid that no mind, though her own smile faded slightly as the woman said she was looking for Dante.

"What do you want with him?" Harm asked curiously, shaking her head slightly, "This is the right address."

In reality, she was a little suspicious. It was stupid of her to feel that way, that slight paranoia, or worry. The overprotectiveness. If this was someone included in that ship disaster, she wanted her no where near her husband. She was already regretting the confirmation Dante did live there.
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Sam Morvanna
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From a door slammed in her face to a simple polite telling that she was wrong, she expected just that. In this case she expected the latter only to be startled when it was confirmed Dante was there. He was...but Sam was standing there a bit dumbfounded by the answer. She thought for a moment that maybe she had heard wrong or something. She had been hoping for a while now so maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Obviously in the back of her mind she knew that wasn't the case, and she slowly nodded in thinking she was answering before reality hit and she knew there wasn't anything to answer that way.

"I wanted to talk to him," she answered honestly. Talk and then fix the issues and move on. It sounded so simple in theory. "I.." She paused to laugh just a moment, finding humor in the situation just a little. "Not to be rude but I still feel like I got the wrong address here. I mean he wasn't with anyone when I saw him last."

Not anyone but her anyways. Maybe this way the woman could confirm who she was in relation to Dante. Sam was going for the fact that she may be a friend. Some roommate. Roommates didn't matter. It was a bad feeling though she got when she tried to convince herself of such and she knew that maybe this wasn't going to be as simple as she figured.
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Harmony Lopiparo
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The woman looked shocked for a moment, and Harm waited, frowning. Well, clearly the woman didn't know who she was, and maybe Dante had just kept them completely separate from his life. She could definitely appreciate that; they hadn't gotten any backwash.

Either way, when the woman said that she wanted to talk to him, Harm opened her mouth to ask her name, already planning on telling her that Dante wasn't in and that she would pass on the message. Dante could find her the next day if he so pleased, but right then wasn't the best time; the girls really looked forward to sitting next to Dante and having him cover their eyes at the scary part and laugh with him... daddy's girls, the lot of them.

"Harmony Morvanna. His wife? It must have been a while ago that you saw him, we've been together for over almost two years."
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Sam Morvanna
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Surprise surprise? Harmony was coming up with every answer that could possibly hurt the most. He was married. He had just...he had moved on then right? She had been thought dead but she hadn't thought this would happen. She had been under the assumption she'd be able to come back once she was better. Apparently the world didn't work that way. Had it been that long? Really? That was so...strange.

"Oh."

Sam couldn't even form words about that. Underneath all the hurt though was anger. She had figured where-ever Dante was Kitty was which meant she was with this Harmony too. That didn't sit well with her at all.

"Never mind. Don't tell him I was here." Not that she had given a name anyways. She would have just made one up. "Sorry for wasting your time."

She wasn't sorry though. She was angry and hurt. She wanted to go inside and demand an explanation and to wrap Kitty up her arms and take her home, but she couldn't do that. She had to think about this with a clear head and then deal with the situation. Eliminate the problem...

Turning around she started away from the house and only went a few steps before she disapparated; intending to end up at her mother's so she could floo back to her own place and avoid having to walk outside in the dark.
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Harmony Lopiparo
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Clearly this person wasn't from the ship mess...it just made Harmony even more curious, and she looked at the woman closer, trying to see if she could recognize her. Nothing seemed to register though, so Harm just figured it was an old friend or something.

But the woman was telling her not to tell Dante and then immediately turned around and left, leaving Harm confused in the doorway.

"Oh...kay..." She muttered, shutting the door behind her as she headed back into the girls.
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Henry Bailey

Henry was kind of excited for this dinner, albeit, it was plenty belated but there were so many cases being processed through the Wizengamot that he was kept at a pace nothing short of dizzying. None of these cases even tended to be important, most of the time it was just a bunch of deliquent wizards that needed quick disciplinary action, but no sooner did he finish with one hearing, another one started or he'd immediately have to start going over case files for another hearing.

This one night, that's all he needed was one night, he set it aside especially for Harmony. He did owe her that much, she was gorgeous and intelligent, the connection between them was something he couldn't let slip past him. Something about her nonchalance towards him drove him mad, perhaps he was used to women fawning over him that having to work for even a sliver of Harmony's attention was attractive.

Before he showed up at the house, Henry got a bouquet of spring flowers as roses were just a little tacky for a first date. There were also some treats for the children, but she had already warned him that they'd be with their babysitter... erm... father. Quickly, he knocked at the door and waited for Harmony to answer.
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Harmony Lopiparo
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Harmony was running around like a chicken without its' head. It was days like this that she really resented what had happened with that fairytale ending and that single parenting was hard enough without the kids being hyperactive. And that's what they had been, all day. All four of them, hyped up like crazy because they were getting to go spend the night with Daddy. Why weren't they ever that excited to spend time with her?

She knew why; it was because they spent most of their time with her anyways. Why get excited about something you can instead take for granted?

Because of that, everything was running late; she'd been running late to get the kids dropped off because they hadn't packed as she'd asked them too (oh, they packed, but games and movies and toys), and then later when Dante needed to talk out schedules with her. And that made starting dinner even later, which then made leaving her to make sure the girls had picked up their toys...at the exact same time there was a knock on her door.

Exasperated because they hadn't, Harmony started hurrying around the living room, gathering stuffed animals and toy trucks and the such in her arms as fast as possible. This...wasn't exactly ideal circumstances to start a...whatever it was. Either way, she wished her house didn't just pour out facts that there were children around. She'd found that wasn't exactly a great topic starter with single men.

Henry though? Henry had been different. He'd surprised her at that function, surprised her with his easy acceptance of her being divorced and being a mom, and with her being a vampire. She hadn't been looking for anything; actually, though she had been enjoying his mature, dark good looks, she had done all she could to throw out facts that would make him want to run. He didn't.

And he was standing at her door, waiting. Harm dropped the toys and swept her hand around the room, silently accioing all toys and directing them upstairs. If they were to go up there, or he wanted a tour...she could deal with that later. Right then, they just needed to be out of her way.

Luckily Harm was dressed for him; while the boys were taking their naps and the girls were watching a princess movie, she had a little time to look through her clothes. It was 'casual', but she didn't think jeans were going to cut it for her. She wore jeans all the time. This was her first chance to feel more than just...just a caretaker, and having an outfit she felt good in was important for her still bashed self-esteem. At the same time, she had two toddler boys and two dramatic girls she had to take care of for the rest of the afternoon before her date...so she had to choose careful weighing both.

White was out; so was anything that required pressing or static guard. She wanted to look nice...but she didn't want to be trying so hard either. She ended up settling for a simple mahogany tunic, leaving her hair to curl where it lay. She was lucky to have time to put on any makeup, let alone actually do as she might have done pre-motherhood, and carefully piece together an entire image.

She had shoes, boots, upstairs that she had planned on wearing, but on second thought she was in her own house, it was casual, and...after running after the kids all day, she didn't feel like wearing them.

Sue her.

Once the living room was to her satisfaction in terms of her babies' things, Harm hurried to the door, reluctant to leave him waiting too long. It took her a minute to unlock it and swing it open, but she was treated with a sweet sight once she was successful. Flowers were in the hands of the man on her porch, an eyebrow rising to accompany her smile. "Hey."
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Henry Bailey

When the door opened, Henry swallowed hard as first dates were always the hardest. But there she stood in the door, radiant, hardly being able to tell she was a mother of four... well, no you could tell, but she definitely downplayed it. She wasn't fussy (good, he didn't need another woman in his life like that), but she made an effort. He thickly held out the bouquet to her with a faint smile.

Thanking Merlin for the fortune that he didn't show up over dressed, he went in for a hug. Would that be too much? A handshake was far too formal, afterall. Henry felt happy in his choice of a light blue button up shirt (not buttoned all the way of course) and a pair of freshly bought jeans. Once he pulled away from the modest hug, he also handed Harmony a small gift bag. In it were some cars for the boys and girly crafty things girl the girls. "I see you're looking beautiful tonight." He complimented Harmony, a man must learn to never forget the compliment.
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Harmony Lopiparo
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As Henry offered her the bouquet, Harm took a moment to notice the arrangement of the flowers and how artfully it had been done. Having worked in a floral shop herself for a long time, she tended to be hypercritical of how anyone else handled their buds. However with that said, this was not some off-the-roadside-vendor batch, and she wouldn't have to allow her slight anal-retentiveness to rearrange the settings when she put them in a vase.

"Thank you, this are beautiful." She told him sincerely, unable to help the light laugh that spilled from her lips as he hugged her. She didn't mind it; Harm enjoyed hugs. It just immediately breached the concept of touching, and because of it she had no issue sliding her arm down from the hug to wrap her fingers around his, ready to guide him inside. At least, she was until he produced a bag, and this time both of her eyebrows went up in the surprise.

"The kids aren't here..." She told him immediately before thinking, pressing her lips together afterward in regret. It was a sweet gesture either way, no matter if it was meant to win the kids over had they been there or as a step towards it when he was gone, later. Immediately she covered by focusing on his other comment, gently leading him into her house and nudging the door shut with her hip. She threw a glance down at her bare legs and feet, just honestly glad that she didn't have paint or ice cream or whatever else the kids liked to coat her with on them. When she looked back up at him after, she replied, "Oh yes, I put away the old hag look for the night. It's terribly repulsive and I'm out of apples."

Again she laughed, heading into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase. "I hope you're not a picky eater." She called back, over the sound of running water.
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Henry Bailey

A smile danced across his lips faintly as Harmony evaluated the flowers and approved. Sure he'd had a failed marriage, but he was aware of how to properly take care of a woman, and nothing but the best flowers available were to be presented at anytime. "No problem, Harm. I thought you'd like a little something to give you a smile when you need it most." He told her. He was glad though, that she never pushed off when he hugged her. As her hand slid down his arm, surprise flickered momentarily through his eyes, it was an interesting way, but her hand in his was comforting. The silky skin of Harmony's hand was welcome in his larger hand.

She took it away when he'd presented her with a peace offering for the children, and he'd only blushed when she pointed out that they weren't there. He'd figured as much, but one could never be certain, especially with a flaky father. "Ah, but when we work out, its a cushion for when you tell them." He said with a slightly cocky smile.

As she described her look, Henry chuckled lightly, he was sure that even as a dressed down mommy, she was nothing short of beautiful. "Perhaps Cinderella rather than the hag, and you've been dressed up for the ball?" He suggested, following behind Harmony to the kitchen. "Absolutely not, I am sure whatever you've made for dinner will be perfect." He muttered, eyeing up the gentle curves of her body. At least she was a real woman, unlike the last one who was a peg in comparison
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Harmony Lopiparo
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"Just the fact that you're here makes me smile." Harm told him artfully, throwing him a smiling glance before she disappeared into her kitchen. The fact that he had thought of her children was pretty incredible to her, given the fact that they were really all she had left in the world now. It amused her when he covered up the blush she couldn't help but notice - all that extra blood pumping into his cheeks - with a supremely cocky statement.

Once the flowers were in the vase she brought walked over to set them on the table, one that she had arranged but not classed up. She didn't think being cliche with silver platters and candles were...really her own style and it would have been too much work. Her things were nice, yes. It just wasn't some high-scale restaurant, and honestly, she preferred the intimate setting much better. "Well, lucky for you there's already a small cushion. Dante had Sam hanging around even before we were separated."

There was no bitterness in her voice, nor anger. All there was left was a simple acceptance, an idle indifference. It'd taken her a while to get there, but she felt it was just time to move on...trying to fix their relationship would just end up hurting her again and again in the long run.

He'd followed her into the kitchen and Harm checked in the oven for a moment before determining it needed a few more minutes, resting against the counter comfortably. She considered teasing him for a moment, implying that he was for dinner...it would have been too easy; a simple darkening of her eyes, just as much sexual as it was hungry, wetting her lips...

But she had gotten the impression her tactics wouldn't really work on him and might lead to things she would rather leave until after dinner, when she had a better chance of knowing him first.

"You look like a meat guy. Chateaubriand, asparagus, and red potatoes with some olive-oil bread is our main meal." She told him, waving her hand to magically call her corkscrew to her and meander over to the alcohol cabinet. "Wine?"

So maybe she was walking with a little extra sway to her step; it came with feeling his eyes on her, feeling somehow powerful in result of it. It'd been so, so long since she'd felt that way and she was enjoying every second of it.
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Henry Bailey

Henry watched the gentle sway of her hips as she walked, and it took a lot of restraint not the cross the room and press his lips to hers. She was gorgeous and she knew what she wanted, now hopefully they were on the same page. But in order to play good company, Henry tried to bury any animalistic thoughts he was having about Harmony, if only because it was the first date and the likelihood that a first date lead to anything more than a goodnight kiss was unlikely. Harmony wasn't some sleasy screw once and dump kind of girl, she had a lot on the line and that old method wasn't appropriate for her, also because she could be bitey if she so chose. When a girl was as high quality as the one standing across the room from him, you didn't purposely mess it up.

"Aw schucks..." he murmured, then laughed. The more he found out about Dante, the more he decided he hated the man. Of course taking the liberty to research this fellow didn't help either. As she fiddled around with dinner, Henry nodded. He needed a night away as much as she needed adult company. "My offer to imprison him for a trumped up charge still stands... Just make sure your child support covers a nanny..." He said it with a small smirk, of course if Dante wasn't a babysitter, he and Harmony would have troubles having nights like this.

The description of dinner sounded marvelous, namely because he rarely cooked for himself, and when he did, it was something that originally came from a box. "I very much am, and dinner sounds like it will be delicious." He smiled. "And wine sounds good."
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Harmony Lopiparo
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"Something like that." Now a hint of wry amusement crept into her tone, stretching to reach the wine glasses in her cabinet. For a moment she reflected on the fact that...since the moment he had gotten there, all they really had talked about was her ex-husband and her kids. While she loved talking about her children, neither things were subjects she had exactly planned on bringing up during dinner.

Even if he was already personally glad to 'take care of it' for her.

Pouring a generous amount in each glass, she left the red where it sat and made her way over to him, handing him one of them. "I don't know much about wine...but from what I've heard, this is a good one. When I bought the house there was a fully stocked cellar downstairs...just left for me I guess."

Only after she had taken a sip did she return to his returned offer, still standing by her own first answer - no thank you. "Believe me, he wouldn't need one made up. Not exactly the cleanest operation you run there, hmm?" Trumped up charges, indeed. "Dirty politician?"

Eh, she wasn't one to judge; she was flirting on either side of the legal line in any given situation.

When the beeper went off to signify the entrée should be done, Harm inclined her head towards the table. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable, and I'll start bringing things over?"

Assuming he would follow her suggestion, Harm instead turned to her oven, using a towel to pull out the bread, potatoes, and asparagus (all done, but sitting in the top oven to keep warm) in their specific dishes, and then reaching in to check on the rareness of the steak. There was a difference between medium rare and still mooing, after all. Satisfied with it's state, she pulled that out too and served healthy helpings onto warm plates. She carried those and her wine glass with her back to the table she had asked him to sit at, setting his plate down with a grin, "Voila. Eat up; I expect you to have seconds." Because...well, there was no way she was getting her kids to eat asparagus and they liked their meat very well done. Waste not, right?
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Henry Bailey

Henry took the glass overed to him and took a drink from it and nodded, it was smooth, sweet but still savoury to go with the meal that Harmony decribed. Full-bodied, yet still simple in taste, it was a good choice. "Lucky woman, I think most people would be so lucky to have their home stocked up with wine upon purchase." He laughed. For Henry, he'd much prefer the stronger stuff, but at dinners and functions, he usually stuck to wine as to not create a bad impression.

Without further prompting, Henry took a seat at the table she was nodding towards. Harm brought over their plates to the table, and he had to say this looked fantastic. If anything, hardly cooking for yourself made you more greatful to the food that was made for you. He couldn't wait to dig in, so he cut off a piece of the steak and it was heavenly in his mouth, it was tender, juicy and flavourful. Everything on his plate looked delicious, and true to his judgement, everything was once he tried them. "This is wonderful, thank you for this." He said genuinely. "Now, tell me more about you." She stated simply, leave the question open so she could determine what was said.
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Harmony Lopiparo
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"Eh." Harm wasn't a huge drinker, honestly. While she liked the tastes of some alcohols, it took a lot to make her drunk and even more for her to feel it in the morning. Humorously enough, it was when she was full of blood that she was capable of feeling the alcohol the most; either way, it tended to be a pointless exercise. She had kids. The wine was just a little gesture...tonight was not her usual.

She was satisfied when Henry immediately started eating, happily noting his compliment and taking a much more leisurely pace herself. Food, like the wine, was unnecessary for her. This didn't mean she didn't like the taste of it, and didn't enjoy eating. Actually, she enjoyed eating a little too much. It was like someone eating candy all the time; it gave them absolutely nothing but extra pounds and yet...it was hard to limit oneself.

A few bites in, Henry decided he wanted to hear about her. There was no question; he all but demanded she share, but there were no specifications. A wealth of information was at her fingertips to give him, but she wasn't quite sure what would be a good place to start.

Harm took another drink of her wine and set her fork down, taking her time to pat her lips with a napkin before answering. "I've been a vampire for almost fifteen years. I never had any formal magical schooling past one year at Hogwarts; everything I've learned I've taught myself, including wandless magic. My favourite color is purple, I own a small florist shop, and I'm a sucker for old romance films."

She shrugged a shoulder and said, "I can dance. Before I was bitten I was being lead into training to make me a primaballerina."

How life changed, right? Her smile came back easily as she went back to eating, looking over the table at him to finish, "And I always, always have room for dessert. What about you?"
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Henry Bailey

Once he got through the inital burst of excitement for a delicious meal, he started to slow down on eating, also because he was trying to hear what Harmony had to say about her life. He made a few meaningful nods and 'mhm's' just to let her know he was listening even if he continued to eat.

As she started to finish her life story, Henry grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth in a gentle yet still highly masculine manner. It was all about being good company. Henry thought about his life and it didn't take too long to decide that his life was pretty boring and that she didn't want to hear it, and anything that was interesting was merely one of those skeletons in the closet type deals.

"How old were you when you were bitten?" He asked thoughtfully, taking another bite from his place. "If you own a florist shop, what is your favourite flower?" He asked again once he swallowed his bite. He did this to take attention from him, and keep her busy talking about herself. If there was one thing Henry was good at, it was that he could get information from anyone.

He scanned her face for the intention of what she'd said. He was taking it bot literally and suggestively. "Isn't it a rule to never eat so much you can't enjoy what comes after the main course?" He asked, a slight twinkle in his eye, leaving the wording neutral so much like he did to Harmony's comment, she could take whatever connotation she wanted from his.
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