isleofavalon | October Catch-all

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October Catch-all

🧙 WHO: Klaudia + Open!
⚔️️ WHAT: October Catch-all
🕒 WHEN: Gestures at October
🗺️ WHERE: Around Camelot, mostly
⚠️ WARNINGS: Will update if needed

One; Steal some Money ☠🛡️

It's safe to say that Klaudia has never been in this sort of situation before. Food shortages and overcrowded conditions aren't something that she's ever experienced--but she is very familiar with the way that rich people value money over actual lives, and this particular ask stirs up an unnamed feeling in her chest. Spite maybe? Anger? Or something deeper like pain or sadness? It's hard to tell, but this is one request that she has negative apprehensions about undertaking.

Under the cover of the "Visivi per i maghi" spell and an illusion to make herself invisible, she's nigh undetectable by sight or any other means. And there's very few locks that she can't either pick open or disassemble, making her a very effective burgular. She takes great care sneaking into these aristocratic homes and relieving them of their valuables. Jewelry, fancy knick-knacks, art--anything that she thinks might fetch some money that can go towards better endeavors; or even items personal enough to warrant a ransom note.

What she isn't quite so good at is keeping that same energy once she's left the homes carrying her ill-gotten goods. She's still perfecting her invisibility spell, so it's possible that someone might see a distorted wave of something not quite right pass through an alley. Or feel an invisible someone bump into them in passing. Carrying jewelry also isn't soundless and neither are her footsteps on the cobblestones. It's awful that her invisibilty and non-detection spells don't account for that.

Two; Carve a Gourd ❦🛡️

In an effort to be both part of the problem and part of the solution, Klaudia has set up a little workshop of her own. Initially, she had the idea to use the animated pumpkins to catch other animated pumpkins-- She just had to carve the correct design, right? It's really no different from other magically animated entities. So she presently has a small flock of pumpkins that are attempting to corral and pin down the mischevious pumpkins. Anyone in the vicinity should probably watch their heads!

On the other hand, she's also busy working on carving more pumkins with a worrisome sign propped up next to her:

Will carve you a pumpkin minion - 1000G
Any damages incurred from animated pumpkins are your problem to solve!
Practice responsible pumpkin ownership! No feeding required.

If she's overseeing the creation of animated pumpkins by carving them herself, then that'll help curb the pumpkin problem... Right?

Three; Make a Bed(dy) ❦🛡️

Rehoming all of the Lestari and Celliwig refugees is a big endeavor, and while there's not many other avenues that Klaudia can be helpful, she is at least proficient with building things. Bunkbeds are far less complicated than ships or magical cannons or any of the other things she's studied or worked on. This should be a breeze.

...Or it would be, if she would just stick to the instructions. It's more difficult than she realized it would be to follow someone else's directions, especially in places that she thinks she can make improvements.

"What if instead of a mounted wooden ladder, we had a rope ladder with wooden slats that unfurls from the top bunk," she muses aloud, as she gets off track for the third time in half an hour. "That would be better, wouldn't it? I mean-- The bottom bunk is going to feel so cramped and enclosed, and who wants to sleep in a wooden cave like some kind of... wood badger?"

Four; When You're Bored

With so many people in the city, going places has become incredibly cumbersome. Waiting in line for her favorite cafe? Trying to get to the other side of town and finding her usual paths are abnormally congested? It feels like there's just a lot more time spent waiting for the hundreds of other people around her to not be in the way, so what's a girl to do in these trying circumstances?

Make potatoes, apparently.

What was once a just-in-case spell that she picked up for her own purposes is now something of an amusement for her. What better way to pass time than to make a potato plant in the ground and watch to see what people do with it. Standing in line and there's nothing to do? Potatoes. Finding a bare patch of dirt while wandering the town? Potatoes. Eating lunch and watching people passing by? A whole circle of potatoes. Cryptic! Mysterious! Even better, what with the food shortages going on, she's practically a saint.

But it's going to be other people's job to dig those up. She's just out here putting potatoes into the world. That's enough for her.

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The distortion catches Lina's eye as it passes under a streetlamp, and it intrigues her. She was out late making some "anonymous" donations earned from the dragon horde treasures she's been able to sell through either legitimate or not-so-legitimate means. After dark's the best time to drop off the spoils since she doesn't want to make a big deal out of it, but seeing the haze pass by makes her wonder why this person—because that's obviously a person hiding behind an invisibility spell, Lina's no amateur—feels the need for that additional layer of anonymity.

So, hands in her pockets, she crosses the street, and begins following a way behind the sidewalk. In the dark, if she concentrates she can continue to see the blurr, so she'll follow a bit, more out of professional curiosity than anything else.

That said, she does start whistling, a tune she makes up as she goes along. It'll alert Klaudia to her presence, but also hopefully give the impression Lina is just on her way home late from somewhere and hasn't actually noticed Klaudia.

And maybe because Lina can't resist stirring just a little shit up. Just a little, to keep things interesting.

Hey. I know you're there.

[ Izutsumi might not exactly have been a professional robber, but if there was one thing a cat knew, surely it was being sneaky! The brush against her fur, also, was unmistakeable -- even in the dark. Too big to belong to a gnome... perhaps a tall-man?

She kept her voice low. No sense attracting undue attention to herself, even in this shadowy, cavernous upper-crust home. If she did, she might have to explain her presence. ]

Give me some of your stuff. It's heavy, right?

Edited 2021-10-13 02:11 (UTC)

It's not until the whistling starts that Klaudia actually notices she's being followed. There's a quiet shift of fabric and a pause in her footsteps as she stop and turns to look behind her. ...Is it just a person on a walk, or are they actually following her? Can they see her? She's not very confident of her invisibility spell just yet; there's certainly room for improvement on how she bends the light. So maybe... she should just... make sure...

Carefully, she tries to quiet her steps and veer off into an alley. Another left, another right--just to be confusing. And if that whistling person is still following? Well, then she's making a run for it.

[Klaudia freezes as the voice addresses her, heart hammering in her throat. She doesn't actually know what the people who live here look like. Is this one of them? Are they going to turn her in? Is she going to have to fight her way out of this?]

[She's already considering possible escape routes when the request comes to... hand stuff over? She blinks, trying to shake off the haze of panic. The invisibility spell stays up, but she does speak, keeping her disembodied voice low.]

What-- Oh... [She takes one of the necklaces in her hands and hangs it around the other's neck. It materializes about halfway through the motion, as if out of thin air.]

Are you-- [Wait, what was that name? The one they were supposed to use?] Are you also, uh... a Robin Hood?

Edited (html broke) 2021-10-13 16:47 (UTC)

[ Robin Hood... such a weird name, come to think of it, but the hoods were practical. She nodded in reply, but not enough to jangle the necklace too hard. Its links fell on the soft, sound-dampening fur of her neck. ]

I saw one with a silver key coming up from the cellar. They must be worried about people taking their fancy things, and stashing 'em away before anyone can.

Oh, good catch. [She hadn't thought to check the cellar just yet, but if the owners of the house were getting antsy, then she doesn't doubt the good stuff would be down there. Probably along with some wine, which Klaudia herself wouldn't mind stuffing a few bottles into her bag.]

If that's the stuff they don't want taken, then that's where we should be, right? Do you want to go check it out?

Of course. If they're bothering to look it up, it must be good.

[ And what was that saying? Curiosity killed the cat? Izutsumi had more than her share, so full speed ahead! ]

This way, c'mon.

[ The darkness of the hall was interrupted with little spears of moonlight, but there was little else to disturb them as Izutsumi padded her way along the cold stone floor leading to the family's cellar. A little stair downward... and a locked door.

What treasures could be inside...? ]

As the distortion ducks quickly into the alley, Lina cracks a grin. Oh, now she's really interested, and wastes no time engaging her Kinetic magic, or as she's come to think of it, her poor man's Ray Wing. Maybe given more time she can learn to finesse it into a proper substitute for her old flight spell, but she's pressed for time and right now what she can make it do is propel her upwards. Very, very fast. Which is what she does.

She manages not to swear as she suddenly shoots upwards, and barely manages to grasp the edge of the building's roof to anchor herself for a moment while she disengages her Kinetic magic, legs kicking wildly in the air for a moment before the magic gives way and she scrambles over the edge of the roof. It's not graceful at all and Lina's glad she's not got any spectators to see this, but it gets her onto the roof and in a minute she's on her feet, running across the rooftops alongside the alley. It's dim down there, but knowing what she's looking for, she catches what she thinks is the distortion turning left. Another Kinetic-assisted leap over the alley, onto a stumbling landing (she only barely manages to keep her footing, or from teetering over the side. Yeah, she needs to spend more time on this.) before she's back and following the distortion as it veers right again. Oh good, back across she goes.

She means to jump back across with her Kinetic magic, but as her feet leave the rooftop Lina realizes too late she's misjudged the angle of her jump in her attempts to keep up, and rather than hitting the opposite rooftop, Lina simply goes sailing past it, over the invisible Klaudia.

Fortunately, there's a fire escape just past where the tiefling is checking to see if she's still being followed and Lina's hand shoots out once again to grab the railing as she goes by. There's a clang as she makes contact, clutching on for dear life for a moment before she releases the magic...and then gravity takes over and down Lina goes. Fortunately the drop's not terrifically long, but the landing is...not graceful.

Wheezing, Lina tries to pull herself quickly to her feet. "With...c-catlike...tread." She manages. "Hoo boy. Now you, you are...a little faster than I was expecting you to be." She says, wagging a finger at the person she obviously knows is standing there. Oh, she's going to be feeling that come morning. "Not...ow, ow, ow Not bad. So what's your deal, h...huh?"

With all the people in Camelot now, Klaudia can't help but feel a little confined. What was a fairly relaxing--or at least convenient residence, the inn is now full of all manners of people that she hasn't seen before. More than once, she's considered crawling out of her window as a means of coming and going, rather than traversing the hallways and staircase that leads to the open street. And if that wasn't bad enough, the request for assistance in making bunkbeds was even more foreboding. Nearly every month that she'd been here, a new wave of residents had descended on the inn around the middle of the month... Where were they supposed to go this time? Into rooms that were already occupied? It seemed unlikely that this situation was going to resolve itself anytime soon, so the only logical conclusion was to make her own solution, right?

That's how Klaudia now finds herself with all of her belongs packed into a large duffel bag, standing outside a small studio flat with a chicken under one arm. There's a curl of anxiety in the pit of her stomach that she's trying to ignore. This really isn't much different from living in the inn, right? She's just paying a little bit for this space. And it's not like she can't go visit the friends that are still living there. It's just a bit longer of a walk. It's just a small change, nothing to be anxious about.

She puts the key into the lock before she can think about it too much, pushing open the door and stepping inside to take a look at her new home.

Edited 2021-10-16 19:19 (UTC)

While Klaudia herself isn't interested in a new pet, that doesn't mean she's not curious about the animals that have been picked up from Celliwig and Lestari. All of the animals here are strange enough, but with how weird those cities were, they're bound to be on a whole different level. That said, what fun is a day out without some friends along? Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are her prime candidates to check it out with her, especially after the whole snake and frog debate... She can only hope there's some reptiles or amphibians for sale.

So imagine her delight when there are some rather unmannerly frogs that have been picked up for adoption. As soon as they catch her attention, she reaches excitedly for Wei Wuxian's hand to give it a tug and direct his attention over to the fae frogs. "Look, look~ It's magical frogs! Wouldn't that be perfect? If you got one, then you could ask it all of the secret cultivation questions you want~"

Edited 2021-10-16 20:23 (UTC)

Keeping up a fashion blog was completely exhausting... with a bright grin and the flash of a peace sign, she ended her latest video and put the phone to one side. She really was running out of ideas for things to film at this point- what would be next, reviewing fashion for her guinea pigs?

"Seriously...how much longer do I...?" she double-checked her phone was turned off, before getting up and stretching. But whilst she was in the process of pulling off her wig, the sound of a key in the door made her freeze.

Wait- wait, was her landlord visiting today?? They mentioned an arrangement to help the refugees and she had agreed to help-

And so, Klaudia would come in to see a small studio flat- bathroom on the left, kitchenette on the right, living and sleeping area with a pen for her guinea pigs right ahead- and a stunned, mostly dolled up Mukuro.

Standing there with a mesh wig cap over her short black hair, and a ridiculous blond wig in her hands.

"What...what the..."

Time has a funny way of passing in Avalon, but every month like clockwork, Klaudia still finds herself at Albion's White Cliffs to watch the new arrivals plunge into the bay. While that on it's own would be entertaining enough, this particular tradition isn't really for entertainment purposes. After all, if someone she knew were to show up, then she would want to know immediately--and Avalon doesn't keep a registry of new arrivals. (Maybe it should... But that's a matter to be jotted down in her notebook and thought about another day.) Not to mention, a quiet part of her can't help but imagine that being where those bonds are formed might influence them in some small way. Like being present on those cliffs could help some familiar or another connect with someone that she knows, someone that she wants to be there.

It's a small hope, and not one that's founded in any sort of magical study or reason, but she holds onto it nonetheless.

This time, however, she's not alone when she reaches the edge of the cliffs. Lan Wangji had asked to accompany her, and it would be a very strange day for her to turn down his company. It's already strange enough that he asked in the first place, she thinks, but it's a nice change from sitting on the cliffs and feeling lonely by herself. The weather doesn't much improve the mood, what with the dark clouds hanging threateningly overhead and blending murkily into the foggy horizon; but the company is more than enough for her.

"I usually settle down here," she explains, setting her bag down on the grass that runs up to the edge of the white chalky cliffs. The edge is a sheer drop down to the beach, but she makes sure to stay a few feet back than she normally would. She doesn't want to worry her friend. "You can't hear the splashes from this distance, but you can see the whole bay from here, so we'll know when they start appearing."

It's also just a nice view in general, and it reminds her a little of being on the ocean at home.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

When she'd decided to participate in the robbery of the noble houses that weren't aiding the refugee effort, Klaudia had thought she was doing something... at least moderately good. Sure, it was still criminal--theft was just one of those things that people always frowned on; but in her eyes, she was helping the refugees. And she wasn't even keeping most of the stolen property to herself. So long as she had enough to comfortably get by on, then money didn't really interest her. And this was one endeavor that she didn't care about turning a profit on.

But accidents happen. Maybe she was getting a little over-confident, after hitting up four houses without incident. Some other people had noticed her--some just as Helpful as she was being, but none of the residents had a clue. At least, not until she'd accidentally caught her tail on the netted edge of a table runner and knocked two vases and a candlestick off a table. The resulting clatter had been loud enough to wake half the house, and by the time she'd gotten free of the fabric, there was nowhere to run to. Even with her invisibility spell, they were bound to find her if they poked around enough; so in her panic, she'd tried to make a run for it... Only for one of them to grab her and wrestle her to the ground.

And thus... Here she is now. Sitting in a holding cell. With one of the knights offering a phone to her. One call. Technically, they shouldn't even be offering that. But this is her first offense, and they don't want to be here any more than she does. If someone can come take responsibility for her and pick her up, she can go home for now.

Who would be awake at this hour and also willing to come get her? ...It feels like there's a deep pit in her stomach, but there's only one person she can think of at the moment.

Thus at 1:30 in the morning, Wei Wuxian is getting a call from an unknown number.

Who would be awake at this hour? Not Wei Wuxian, a courteous roommate who is respectfully curtailing his night owl tendencies with only some difficulty. Who would probably have been even more courteous if he had remembered to silence his phone. Who is catapulted into wakefulness and an urgent sifting through his surroundings for the source of the torment, and then throwing himself on it like a grenade. It was indeed not supposed to happen like this. The phone barely has time for a ring and a half, but it feels interminable to at least one party involved.

"Yes, what?" Wei Wuxian is not very practiced at this. Who calls him?? Why would anyone do this? Maybe he should curse them. "Who is this?" He's not any better at whispering than he is answering the phone, but he's trying.

If only Klaudia was aware of the hilarity her choices had inspired, it might have improved her present mood.

It takes a few seconds for her to find her voice. He doesn't answer like she expects him to. (And who would, when he doesn't know who is on the other side or the situation that she's in?) She wants her own phone, but that's been confiscated, and she can't hide behind text and emojis on this one.

"It's Klaudia." Her voice sounds rough, like she's been crying or she's about to. Possibly both. "Can... can you come get me? ...I got caught somewhere that I wasn't supposed to be. They won't let me leave unless it's with someone."

As soon as the noise and nigh on claustrophobic bustle of the overcrowded city are exchanged for a wide open horizon and no sound but the occasional bird call and the gusts of wind driving the heavy clouds overhead, Lan Wangji allows himself a small blink of relief. Though avoiding the city wasn't his primary reason for joining Klaudia today, it is certainly a benefit.

He follows her wordlessly, seeing as how she is the more experienced party on this trip. And the spot she chooses is indeed something. He takes a moment to let his gaze sweep the entirety of the bay, appreciating the imposing nature of the tall white cliffs and the roiling sea, as slate-grey as the clouds it reflects. He hadn't had the mind to appreciate the view upon his arrival six months ago, and hadn't thought to return since then, but perhaps he should have. But he is here now, carrying a small ember of hope and longing himself, equal parts piercing and patient.

If this is the place that returned Wei Ying and Sizhui to him, perhaps it could do the same once more, if only he waits long enough.

"A good spot," he commends Klaudia's choice and reasoning, settling down beside her. His robes glittering with a light of their own may make him look a little out of place in the gloom of this day, but the endeavor seemed significant enough to warrant his best attire. So settled, he produces his qin from the enchanted sleeves, setting the instrument across his knees and beginning to tune the strings.

[Klaudia follows after the other intrepid burglar, since she's the only one that's presently visible. The expansive hallways and foyers--eerily quiet in the dead of night--are a little unsettling for Klaudia, but not for any reason that's readily apparent. She feels keenly aware of every little sound that they make (mostly herself), while straining to hear any ones that aren't the two of them.]

[The sight of the cellar door is a welcome relief when they get to it. Without thinking much about it, Klaudia slides around her companion and hunches down to inspect the lock.]

Looks like a lever lock... Five levers, I think? I can get this open, but I don't know if there's any magical wards in place. [She half-turns to look back at Izutsumi, though still invisible.] What sorts of magic do you have?

Klaudia all but yelps when there's a clang overhead, and a sudden thud of a person??? Dropping to the ground??? For one brief but horrifying moment, Klaudia is pretty sure she just watched someone die. (The horror is mostly in not wanting to catch hell for it, so there's also some relief when said person starts getting up of their own accord.)

The relief shifts again as that finger gets wagged at her, and Klaudia can be certain that she's been discovered. With her bag and pockets full of jewelry and a particularly nice set of candlesticks, that's not really a great look for her. She's happy to stay invisible, thank you very much. She's also happy not to explain anything of importance to this random stranger, which means... She needs a cover story.

She doesn't think that she was going particularly fast--she's not exactly in peak physical fitness, despite her crew's best attempts. But for someone playing leapfrog on the rooftops, a direct path will always be quicker. And she's willing enough to roll with it.

"I am... a spirit~" she starts, trying for her spookiest voice and managing after a slight pause. "The ghost of late Elma Swiftfoot~ Legendary courier to the great kings~ I once ran for three days with no water, food, or sleep~ Who are you to question me~? Begone or I shall haunt you til the end of your days~"

Edited (idk some words got jumbled, whoops) 2021-10-17 22:28 (UTC)

Klaudia freezes in the doorway--and then slams the door closed again, backing away like she'd stepped directly into a fire. All of her anxiety is immediately in her throat, making it difficult to breathe. What was that? Did she have the wrong house? The wrong day? No--the key worked so this was the right place; and the landlord had said it was fine to bring her stuff over whenever. She double checks her messages, just to be sure... and sure enough, it's all right there. Address, confirmation, key, everything.

So who the hell was that??? There's a feeling in the back of her mind, like she should know that face. But she's pretty sure she doesn't know that face?? None of it makes any sense, but as the seconds tick by, Klaudia finds a little more of her nerve. She's going to sort this out--she has to be staying here. She already gave up her inn room; she doesn't have anywhere else to go now.

With slightly more presence of mind, Klaudia shoulders her bag, as if bracing for a fight. She turns the knob again and all but slams the door back open. Peppercorn startles at the noises, finally deciding she's had enough and frantically flapping her wings until Klaudia drops her. It's fine. This is their place now, and no one is saying otherwise.

"Okay--jig's up! What are you doing in my apartment?"

Edited (small typo) 2021-10-18 00:50 (UTC)

There's an immediate sense of warmth and pride in Klaudia's chest when he commends her for the location. It is a good spot, and it has a strangely calming effect on Klaudia herself. Perhaps it's simply the way the the horizon always draws her eye, quelling something tumultuous and racing in her thoughts. Her body is here with her feet planted on solid ground; but her soul, out there amongst the waves, has found its way home.

It's one of the rare few times that she settles without fidgeting, legs crossed and skirt fanned around her. She takes her alchemy notebook from her bag and opens it in her lap, intending to work on her symbols. But even with her pen in hand, her gaze draws up to that horizon again. In her mind, she knows that the waters end at the edge of some magical barrier, tumbling over the absence of land into some cosmic abyss... But she still feels drawn towards it, like there might be something out there to discover--or something familiar to find.

With a small mental jolt, Klaudia realizes she's nearly forgotten her present company. She blinks a few times as she clear the haziness in her thoughts and then looks over to him. As always, seeing how immaculate he looks in the robes she made fills her with personal pride and delight. It brings a smile to her face and chases away a few of the more melancholy thoughts from a moment ago.

"Are you going to chase the clouds away with that?" Maybe a bit of a perplexing question, but she sounds amused; and she continues with an explanation shortly. "I've read stories before about how much the ocean likes music. Singing and sailing go hand in hand, but sometimes when the waves were particularly rough, someone would play a beautiful song that would calm the water and stop a storm."

This sand cultivator thinks she is sooooo funny (and she's right, but he doesn't have to admit it). Wei Wuxian pouts at both Klaudia and frogs as a concept, and vows not to think of any more animal cultivation theories, but accepts the hand grabbing with equanimity. He isn't in the market for any pets or small green teachers either, but is just as curious about this whole process~~, and maybe Lan Zhan will see something especially cute and make a face~~.

"It would not be perfect, because it's a frog. Remember when you were on my side against all the frog-deprived Lans? I miss those days. Lan Zhan, did you bribe my only ally? I'll double it."

Oh, so not some kind of ghost emergency after all. Or at least not the kind where he's not the ghost himself. Emergency sounds right enough though; he's definitely awake now and filing 'somewhere that I wasn't supposed to be' away for later. At least it doesn't seem like she's in danger? Just...confiscated? But pretty torn up about it, so he tries to be as soothing now as he wasn't when he answered the phone, though this is maybe hard to get across in poorly executed whispers.

"I can do that, just tell me where." He's already fumbling (quietly!) for his shoes, wondering if he should like. Leave a note? It's probably fine, he can explain when he knows what he's explaining. "...Do I need weapons?"

He says he'll come; and the relief she feels doesn't nearly blot out the dread, but it does ease it enough to keep the tears at bay. She nods to herself, as if he'll hear the sound of it, then remembers a second later to follow up with an audible "Okay... okay."

The question about weapons jolts her a little, but only visually. That wasn't audible, right? She looks nervously at the knight? Guard? She's not sure what to call him. He's definitely watching her, but he doesn't seem to be reacting to that, so she quickly averts her gaze again.

"No--no, it's not... You just have to come here--" She gives him an address and rattles off the directions as best she can remember. "And... and I think there's a fine? So you have to bring money... I can pay you back when I get my phone back." There's no world where she's going to endure having to get a friend to fetch her and then also making him pay for her, too. That's too much. And speaking of too much... The knot of dread in the pit of her stomach gets even tighter at the thought, but she has to say it--

"Don't tell Lan Wangji. Please?"

[ Izutsumi opened her mouth to answer, only to stop and cock her head as her ears caught the sound of soft padding. And... panting? She grimaced as she melted into the shadows, but this wasn't going to solve the problem of the hound that appeared at the top of the steps.

The last thing the situation needed! And if that snuffling was any indication, it wouldn't matter if they were visible or not... ]

I'll handle him. Try and hurry.

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Page 1 of 5

October Catch-all

Closed Threads

Stealing Money

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For Mukuro (@corpsewarblade)

For Wei Wuxian (@raveyardpatriarch) and Lan Wangji (@wukuiyuxin)

Mukuro hates her life

For Lan Wangji (@wukuiyuxin)

For Wei Wuxian (@raveyardpatriarch)

you CALL wei wuxian??

jail for Klaudia for one thousand years

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