... that breakdown makes it sound about as weird as it is, so, yeah. Preeetty much. (maybe god just wanted to live vicariously through his son, like a hockey mom. god, the hockey mom.) Some of it's overly complicated. I like the simple bits and try to live by them. Keyword "try."
(the third and eighth protestant commandments are very, very difficult for him to remember.)
You're usually so set in your ways, I didn't know whether or not you'd come around. I... kinda'... panic-adopted an iguana because of it. Which makes me honestly glad you took time to consider things. Rushing yourself's never a good idea either.
[ "I'm not set in my ways", he thinks to counter, but there's something far more pressing to address than his own advanced denial and other myriad issues. ]
An iguana. [ More than religion, more than a chance for him to self-reflect and upend his entire life, his focus settles here. ]
(chuckles into the receiver, before crossing to his bed to lay the iguana down on his comforter.)
I'll do you one better. (the only warning before video's flicked on to show jonas checking the camera with a vacant look that clears the moment he's sure it's connected. he doesn't do too many of these, surprisingly, offering a parting salute to the watch before the world spins to reveal the lizard in all his glory.
[ It takes a moment for Sasuke to realize that looking at the watch is necessary, hearing a quiet beep that signals the start of the video transmission before he's finally pulling it back to glance at its face. There's Jonas, and his own expression mirrors his with a touch more unguarded questioning. Ah... So this is what he meant.
And all too soon he's being presented with Jonas's bedspread, then a clawed foot and a scaly face. Eyes narrow. Disapproving. ]
"Eddie"? I haven't heard that name before. [ But very well, here he goes. ]
(eddie snorts at the new, foreign voice, immediately bobbing his head.)
He is... acknowledging you exist. (jonas supplies, in case the movement's lost on sasuke who is then filled in on the familiar's fleeting feelings.) He feels... wary annnd hungry.
(a hand comes into view to pat warmly at the lizard's side.)
Actually, since you won't get the joke I'll just explain it to you right now: I named him after an Earth comedian, Eddie Izzard. So, like, Eddie Izzard... (trailing off, leading his friend to the punchline with a pause.) Eddie Lizard... anyway, it's the first thing I thought of.
Wary? [ His eyes narrow at the screen, trying as hard as he possibly can to read that lizard's body language from so far away. The picture is grainy, sepia, and entirely unhelpful. It's... just an iguana like any other. Damn it. Perhaps after he bonds with Jonas... ]
Eddie Izzard, [ he repeats, doing his best to be a good sport here. However... ]
... I don't understand. Is Izzard a type of lizard in your world?
(jonas laughs, charmed, resisting the urge to stifle it against the back of his hand. how quickly a mood can change. the camera's angle then drops, slowly approaching the iguana's snout. up close and personal with their new head-tilting, slow-blinking pal.)
No, no, "Izzard" is a last name. A family name. (correcting him quietly,) It's supposed to rhyme with lizard, but I'm assuming the words coming out weird. At least this is the first time the language barrier's really messed with us... except for the Gaelic writing.
[ Sasuke opens his mouth to greet Eddie yet again when he's swooped closer, feeling its necessity even if the lizard does nothing to prompt it. Blinks, maybe. Gives him a look that he codes as highly judgmental. ]
Ah. To me it rhymes with "shadow of fire". [ ... slowly, Sasuke closes his eyes. Realizing just how stupid and pointless that was, knowing it'll be translated in return for Jonas into something that very much does not rhyme. ]
If you want to know what I hear, know that you sound like a native from my world. You speak my language fluently, even if your word choice is usually impolite.
(suddenly steals the show from the lizard with a turn of his watch, staring down into it with a look of happy surprise.)
"Shadow of fire" does not rhyme with "lizard," (chuckles, which is less of a chuckle and more of a particularly manly giggle that shakes his shoulders,) that soundsβΒ you don't even know how hilarious that sounds. Does fire even have a shadow? It's light itself, it can't be the absence of it.
(little does he know how ill a rap that would've just made. killer bee, sign him up.)
You're fluent in English, too, man! You soundβ (glances to eddie, who's trying to waddle off the side of the bedβuntil scooped up and deposited in his lapβto make his great escape again,)Β huh, how would I describe it? Advanced vocab, bro.
How does Jonas sound? Those casual speech patterns suit him, hardly so aggressive and overcompensating as Naruto always tended to be when they were young but rather laidback. Teasing, like he's always slowing down his words in order to wait for the other person to get the joke. Sasuke misses most of them. It doesn't mean it isn't calming to hear. ]
You don't sound like that. [ Which... might sound like an insult from anyone else. ] Your vocabulary, that is.
"Shadow of fire" is what we call the leader of the village I'm from. There are other shadows as well. A shadow of lightning, a shadow of wind, a shadow of water... The words aren't related to lizard at all, but the first one still rhymes.
Why does everyone think I'm a total dumb-ass? (he laughs as he says it, fond of sasuke's honest reply. he knows by now not to buy into knee-jerk urges to clap back, but occasionally it's necessary to give into them.) I know big words, I've just been saving them all up for a rainy day.
Are the lightning, wind, and water shadows leaders of villages too?
We don't have anything like that, but we have a, uh... Governor. For Oregon. Her name is Kate. Kate Brown. (jonas, you're not on first name basis with governor brown.) And then we have a President, the guy who oversees the entire country, and his name's Barack Obama.
There are way too many states in America for me to list off everyone in a position of power. It's pretty hodgepodge.
[ A dumbass? Maybe in some ways he had started to think that way, though it's not a title he could ever truly apply insultingly. Not anymore. There's a quiet fondness to it he could never put into words despite his many attempts to try, and the realization that the comparison has even crossed his mind jars him from his thoughts.
The rest of Jonas's words run together and there's a painful pause when he finishes that's devoted to their reconstruction in his mind, hurriedly attempting to catch up. ]
I'll wait for that day. It's fine if it never comes. [ Words he almost allows to pass unsaid, but now's the time to practice a little openness before it's a regular requirement. ]
You don't need to list everyone, Jonas. For now understanding those in authority within your "state" and your country is enough. My village's leader is a man named Hatake Kakashi... He would be your Kate Brown. [ End me. ] The country is headed by a daimyou, though that means little to us as shinobi.
Glad you're open to me being flaky, because I, uh, don't actually have any on reserve? Annnd I'm too lazy to draw up a list. (jonas, not too versed in the subtle shifts in sasuke's expressions, misses all but the pause.
that's what he considers one of his friend's thoughtful silences, dedicated to carefully considering the words that follow.)
A scarecrow... is your leader. (that shit translated so badly. we tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter.) I don't even know where to begin there, but Obama's a cool dude. A lot of people hate him because he'sβΒ well, he's not what they expected in a Presidentβespecially the rich assholes profiting off the way things are. His whole goal was to tax them, balance inequality in everyone's lifestyles (since there's a ton of people who don't even need the amount of wealth they have), and get everyone affordable healthcare.
(he has to admire a man like that. with all that's happened in his family's lives, medicare would've been important to have. they wouldn't have had to live so poorly. they could've been able to provide more comfort to his mom. they could've.)
I don't know. I don't know much about politics and... whatever the government's doing. I really hate it all.
"Balance inequality"... [ Those words sound nice. Utopian. And Sasuke swallows them with a tablespoon of salt and a hell of a lot of wariness. The background of his village is unique and he's intimately aware of that fact, but even still... power is a universally corrupting force if left unchecked, and pleasant promises are too often just that. ]
Hating it is exactly why you should keep yourself aware. I also hate that approach to things and the deceit often required by those in a position of authority. That doesn't mean it does me any service to turn a blind eye. [ Or that it does one for others in the village. Changes in leadership might have him more optimistic, but Kakashi is a creature of a bygone age just as much as he himself is. More so, even. ]
... Ka. Ka. Shi. That's his name. [ It took him this long to realize what happened. ]
I'm aware. (a bit coolly, frustrated with it just as he was back in westedge.) I'm aware of how much is sucks for me and my family, and how I can't do anything to change our circumstances. So even if I do look at it all, man, America's government's supposedly a democracy and I'm not even allowed to vote for our leaders.
I'm stuck here anyway, now. All that's just... gone.
(can't meet his eyes for a moment, choosing to pick at his bedspread with a little sigh.)
Sorry. I think the translate function's messing up, or something. Kakashi, I hear it now. (pauses, emboldening himself with their earlier promise.) Is that whose... brother you kidnapped? Or like, was that another world leader's brother?
Wait. [ Especially wait after that last question, one he hadn't mentally prepared himself for but won't shy away from. Refusal to answer at this point feels almost like a punishment for Jonas, like he's done something wrong by bringing it up. That's not a feeling he wants to encourage. ]
What do you mean, you aren't allowed to vote? [ Konoha isn't a democracy but that doesn't mean he's unfamiliar with the concept; plenty of teams operate that way, along with the council. And yet... for him to be denied the ability to participate? ]
(rises, bringing the watch with him. his eyes are elsewhere, likely aimed out the window at the street below. observing, the way bishop told him was so necessary for learning about this world, feeling inadequate. he hasn't figured out a goddamn thing.)
I'm a felon. (he's unimpressed, which makes him sound tired.) Voting age is eighteen, which I am, but I was charged with assault. It's a felony in some states, and treated case by case for minors. If it'd just been a misdemeanour, it'd have been fine. But felonies show in the records they keep... and felons can't vote. We can't do much of anything.
[ So people under eighteen can't vote, which is strike one. But people who have committed crimes are also on that list? Sasuke realizes quickly just how few rights he would have in Jonas's society, and it causes him to feel anger on behalf of his friend. He stays quiet for a moment or two longer, unable to hold it back forever. ]
Ridiculous... Any society that robs itself of the perspectives of those who have adhered to their punishments is handicapping itself. [ Take a deep breath, Sasuke.
He studies Jonas's features for a moment, the distracted way he doesn't meet his eyes. Not a topic he should linger on, perhaps. ]
Kakashi was my old squadron leader and he has no brother. It was the Raikage whose brother I attacked.
Yeah, well, you described the US pretty well just now.
(sasuke's reaction draws him in, finally looking back. he sounds more upset about it than he himself is, which new, strange, and welcome. they share another opinion, both having real reasons to hate those particular laws. it's bracing.
which makes him far more intent on listening to this friend speak on things he might never understand.)
There's... a lot in there to unpack. First, you actually worked for your village's leader? Like, directly? (to him it's the same as working for the highest ranking politician, a difficult feat and one that stands out as something truly amazing.) Second, uh, did he do something specific? Or was it some randsom kinda' thing?
[ Well, he's decided the United States of America is a truly terrible place, or at least its government is. The way Jonas has described everything else? Peaceful, full of good memories. Couldn't he do the same for Konoha? ]
I didn't work for him; he was my captain. He was a shinobi with far more experience than I or my teammates had, so we were assigned missions to complete under his supervision. He gave me solo instruction often. [ And somehow... well, of the people on his team that he expected to become hokage first, Kakashi was never at the top of the list. There was only one. ]
A man I was working with was the one who requested the kidnapping. The man I targeted had a great deal of power that he needed, and he intended to draw it out of him. I had no personal grudge or stake in it.
... well, jeez, no wonder... ("you're so strong," goes unsaid, sufficiently wowed and sure sasuke'll pick up on that.
he doesn't miss that past-tense either, thinking back to the conversation between stiles, sasuke, and him. his power level now must be well over the shinobi standard, wishing he had some sort of chart or comparison for context. the topic at hand, however, deserves more attention for now.
it's eerie to hearβnot more than finding out about the murders, but it instills in jonas the same feeling the other inmates' motley crimes at the detention centre had.)
Shinobi are like... mercs, right? Were you getting paid, or something? Why work for a guy like that?
[ Unspoken words are guessed at but they unfortunately have little pride attached to them, well aware of the opportunity that he had been given as a child. Well aware, too, of how thoroughly he'd squandered it the first chance he was given to instead latch onto a faster path. It had been necessary in order to achieve the growth he'd wanted... but at what cost?
Eyes lower, gaze pointed away from the watch as he recalls a few particularly unpleasant memories. Certainly some that paint him in an unfavorable light. ]
Because I was lost. He and I had similar goals... I wanted to attack the village I was born in, and he told me he could aid me in that. At the time I was so full of anger that I trusted him.
We don't have to talk about this now, Jonas. This is meant to be something positive between us.
jonas' fingers curl against the palm of his hand, empty. how much, exactly, did sasuke have to lose to completely give in to anger? when his mother was sick, he could barely contain it. his willpower was shot, devastated. but for sasuke to willfully allow others to manipulate him in exchange for power to attack a village he was raised in... what caused it? why did it happen?)
I trust you. That's positive. (they worked hard for this bond, the un-bonded kind jonas cherishes more than any deeper connection. he and sasuke created theirs themselves without help from an empathetic connection or outside influence, a firm foundation to build the rest on.) And so is... your trust in me. That I won't go off, have another conniption.
... you're right, both of those are. Though calling your reaction a "conniption" is perhaps a less fair characterization of events.
[ His attempt to inject any levity into his tone falls flat; his voice remains even, seemingly unaffected. And... for the first time he truly acknowledges a desire for that Bond that isn't purely practical: won't it be easier to communicate his feelings and points to Jonas in a believable way if he can feel them? ]
It's not that I trust you won't act in a way I can't control. It's that I trust that you deserve to know the truth. If you ever needed time again to deal with something I said, I wouldn't hold that against you.
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(the third and eighth protestant commandments are very, very difficult for him to remember.)
You're usually so set in your ways, I didn't know whether or not you'd come around. I... kinda'... panic-adopted an iguana because of it. Which makes me honestly glad you took time to consider things. Rushing yourself's never a good idea either.
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An iguana. [ More than religion, more than a chance for him to self-reflect and upend his entire life, his focus settles here. ]
... a picture. Can you send me one?
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(chuckles into the receiver, before crossing to his bed to lay the iguana down on his comforter.)
I'll do you one better. (the only warning before video's flicked on to show jonas checking the camera with a vacant look that clears the moment he's sure it's connected. he doesn't do too many of these, surprisingly, offering a parting salute to the watch before the world spins to reveal the lizard in all his glory.
a very standard iguana at a healthy weight.)
This is Eddie.
1/2
And all too soon he's being presented with Jonas's bedspread, then a clawed foot and a scaly face. Eyes narrow. Disapproving. ]
"Eddie"? I haven't heard that name before. [ But very well, here he goes. ]
2/2
My name is Uchiha Sasuke.
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He is... acknowledging you exist. (jonas supplies, in case the movement's lost on sasuke who is then filled in on the familiar's fleeting feelings.) He feels... wary annnd hungry.
(a hand comes into view to pat warmly at the lizard's side.)
Actually, since you won't get the joke I'll just explain it to you right now: I named him after an Earth comedian, Eddie Izzard. So, like, Eddie Izzard... (trailing off, leading his friend to the punchline with a pause.) Eddie Lizard... anyway, it's the first thing I thought of.
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Eddie Izzard, [ he repeats, doing his best to be a good sport here. However... ]
... I don't understand. Is Izzard a type of lizard in your world?
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No, no, "Izzard" is a last name. A family name. (correcting him quietly,) It's supposed to rhyme with lizard, but I'm assuming the words coming out weird. At least this is the first time the language barrier's really messed with us... except for the Gaelic writing.
... kinda' wish I could hear what you hear.
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Ah. To me it rhymes with "shadow of fire". [ ... slowly, Sasuke closes his eyes. Realizing just how stupid and pointless that was, knowing it'll be translated in return for Jonas into something that very much does not rhyme. ]
If you want to know what I hear, know that you sound like a native from my world. You speak my language fluently, even if your word choice is usually impolite.
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"Shadow of fire" does not rhyme with "lizard," (chuckles, which is less of a chuckle and more of a particularly manly giggle that shakes his shoulders,) that soundsβΒ you don't even know how hilarious that sounds. Does fire even have a shadow? It's light itself, it can't be the absence of it.
(little does he know how ill a rap that would've just made. killer bee, sign him up.)
You're fluent in English, too, man! You soundβ (glances to eddie, who's trying to waddle off the side of the bedβuntil scooped up and deposited in his lapβto make his great escape again,)Β huh, how would I describe it? Advanced vocab, bro.
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How does Jonas sound? Those casual speech patterns suit him, hardly so aggressive and overcompensating as Naruto always tended to be when they were young but rather laidback. Teasing, like he's always slowing down his words in order to wait for the other person to get the joke. Sasuke misses most of them. It doesn't mean it isn't calming to hear. ]
You don't sound like that. [ Which... might sound like an insult from anyone else. ] Your vocabulary, that is.
"Shadow of fire" is what we call the leader of the village I'm from. There are other shadows as well. A shadow of lightning, a shadow of wind, a shadow of water... The words aren't related to lizard at all, but the first one still rhymes.
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Are the lightning, wind, and water shadows leaders of villages too?
We don't have anything like that, but we have a, uh... Governor. For Oregon. Her name is Kate. Kate Brown. (jonas, you're not on first name basis with governor brown.) And then we have a President, the guy who oversees the entire country, and his name's Barack Obama.
There are way too many states in America for me to list off everyone in a position of power. It's pretty hodgepodge.
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The rest of Jonas's words run together and there's a painful pause when he finishes that's devoted to their reconstruction in his mind, hurriedly attempting to catch up. ]
I'll wait for that day. It's fine if it never comes. [ Words he almost allows to pass unsaid, but now's the time to practice a little openness before it's a regular requirement. ]
You don't need to list everyone, Jonas. For now understanding those in authority within your "state" and your country is enough. My village's leader is a man named Hatake Kakashi... He would be your Kate Brown. [ End me. ] The country is headed by a daimyou, though that means little to us as shinobi.
Do you agree with their leadership?
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that's what he considers one of his friend's thoughtful silences, dedicated to carefully considering the words that follow.)
A scarecrow... is your leader. (that shit translated so badly. we tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter.) I don't even know where to begin there, but Obama's a cool dude. A lot of people hate him because he'sβΒ well, he's not what they expected in a Presidentβespecially the rich assholes profiting off the way things are. His whole goal was to tax them, balance inequality in everyone's lifestyles (since there's a ton of people who don't even need the amount of wealth they have), and get everyone affordable healthcare.
(he has to admire a man like that. with all that's happened in his family's lives, medicare would've been important to have. they wouldn't have had to live so poorly. they could've been able to provide more comfort to his mom. they could've.)
I don't know. I don't know much about politics and... whatever the government's doing. I really hate it all.
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Hating it is exactly why you should keep yourself aware. I also hate that approach to things and the deceit often required by those in a position of authority. That doesn't mean it does me any service to turn a blind eye. [ Or that it does one for others in the village. Changes in leadership might have him more optimistic, but Kakashi is a creature of a bygone age just as much as he himself is. More so, even. ]
... Ka. Ka. Shi. That's his name. [ It took him this long to realize what happened. ]
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I'm stuck here anyway, now. All that's just... gone.
(can't meet his eyes for a moment, choosing to pick at his bedspread with a little sigh.)
Sorry. I think the translate function's messing up, or something. Kakashi, I hear it now. (pauses, emboldening himself with their earlier promise.) Is that whose... brother you kidnapped? Or like, was that another world leader's brother?
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What do you mean, you aren't allowed to vote? [ Konoha isn't a democracy but that doesn't mean he's unfamiliar with the concept; plenty of teams operate that way, along with the council. And yet... for him to be denied the ability to participate? ]
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I'm a felon. (he's unimpressed, which makes him sound tired.) Voting age is eighteen, which I am, but I was charged with assault. It's a felony in some states, and treated case by case for minors. If it'd just been a misdemeanour, it'd have been fine. But felonies show in the records they keep... and felons can't vote. We can't do much of anything.
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Ridiculous... Any society that robs itself of the perspectives of those who have adhered to their punishments is handicapping itself. [ Take a deep breath, Sasuke.
He studies Jonas's features for a moment, the distracted way he doesn't meet his eyes. Not a topic he should linger on, perhaps. ]
Kakashi was my old squadron leader and he has no brother. It was the Raikage whose brother I attacked.
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(sasuke's reaction draws him in, finally looking back. he sounds more upset about it than he himself is, which new, strange, and welcome. they share another opinion, both having real reasons to hate those particular laws. it's bracing.
which makes him far more intent on listening to this friend speak on things he might never understand.)
There's... a lot in there to unpack. First, you actually worked for your village's leader? Like, directly? (to him it's the same as working for the highest ranking politician, a difficult feat and one that stands out as something truly amazing.) Second, uh, did he do something specific? Or was it some randsom kinda' thing?
(double woah..................)
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I didn't work for him; he was my captain. He was a shinobi with far more experience than I or my teammates had, so we were assigned missions to complete under his supervision. He gave me solo instruction often. [ And somehow... well, of the people on his team that he expected to become hokage first, Kakashi was never at the top of the list. There was only one. ]
A man I was working with was the one who requested the kidnapping. The man I targeted had a great deal of power that he needed, and he intended to draw it out of him. I had no personal grudge or stake in it.
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he doesn't miss that past-tense either, thinking back to the conversation between stiles, sasuke, and him. his power level now must be well over the shinobi standard, wishing he had some sort of chart or comparison for context. the topic at hand, however, deserves more attention for now.
it's eerie to hearβnot more than finding out about the murders, but it instills in jonas the same feeling the other inmates' motley crimes at the detention centre had.)
Shinobi are like... mercs, right? Were you getting paid, or something? Why work for a guy like that?
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Eyes lower, gaze pointed away from the watch as he recalls a few particularly unpleasant memories. Certainly some that paint him in an unfavorable light. ]
Because I was lost. He and I had similar goals... I wanted to attack the village I was born in, and he told me he could aid me in that. At the time I was so full of anger that I trusted him.
We don't have to talk about this now, Jonas. This is meant to be something positive between us.
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jonas' fingers curl against the palm of his hand, empty. how much, exactly, did sasuke have to lose to completely give in to anger? when his mother was sick, he could barely contain it. his willpower was shot, devastated. but for sasuke to willfully allow others to manipulate him in exchange for power to attack a village he was raised in... what caused it? why did it happen?)
I trust you. That's positive. (they worked hard for this bond, the un-bonded kind jonas cherishes more than any deeper connection. he and sasuke created theirs themselves without help from an empathetic connection or outside influence, a firm foundation to build the rest on.) And so is... your trust in me. That I won't go off, have another conniption.
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[ His attempt to inject any levity into his tone falls flat; his voice remains even, seemingly unaffected. And... for the first time he truly acknowledges a desire for that Bond that isn't purely practical: won't it be easier to communicate his feelings and points to Jonas in a believable way if he can feel them? ]
It's not that I trust you won't act in a way I can't control. It's that I trust that you deserve to know the truth. If you ever needed time again to deal with something I said, I wouldn't hold that against you.
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