paixaorpg | Worse? Or better? [active]

Entry tags:

Worse? Or better? [active]

Character(s): Mao, Genie, Blank!Urd, anyone else in the house(?)
Content: A specialist is called in to try and take care of Urd's Darkness problem. ...Anyone else feel that chill down their spine?
Setting: Genie and Urd's place, M6
Time: Backdated a bit
Warnings: Mao.

How could he ever, ever refuse this kind of deal? A chance to look into a goddess's heart, a way to show up that cockroach Overlord the next time he ever tried to shove Mao into a pool, the chance to perform a rare surgery, and, of course, a final reward of his own choosing (not that they knew about that one)... He would have been a fool to say no. There wasn't a single con to this he could think of!

And that surgery in itself was more than he ever could have asked for. Grafting an angel to another living being? Forging a symbiotic relationship with an angel and another creature? Should he make sure they have two separate minds or would they have to share? What about organs?! Would there be a need for more?! If he could just slip in a few rocket powered limbs into the mix...!

Mao suddenly became aware of his own heavy breathing and the feeling of drool slipping down his chin. Oh, he was becoming too excited again, wasn't he? The demon slurped up as much of it as he could, wiping the rest of the drool off with his sleeves. Calm. He had to try and keep himself contained until he got there.

There was a sudden slam as Mao kicked open the door to Urd and Genie's home. "Take me to your lab!" Mao gasped out, arms spread wide.

Containment failure.

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Well, he certainly knew how to make an entrance, didn’t he? Genie had expected the demon to at least have the curiously to use the doorbell. How wrong he had been. However, the absents of others in the room would hopefully make Mao feel a little foolish for his actions. All those present could be found upstairs in Urd’s room, keeping the goddess company. Genie was doubtful she could feel his presence, but proved most insistent on holding her hand until the demon had arrived. He had simply sat with her, running his thumb gently over the back of her hand while his thoughts wandered. What could he have done differently, what should he have done, and ultimately would the surgery cure her or simply prove a waste of time? While he flew down the stairs to meet with the demon he wondered who Mao would find best to graft W.O.E to. Not only that but how their own body would react.

“Didn’t I ask you to calm down before got here?” He asked disapprovingly from the staircase. “Look at you! You can’t go in looking like that, drooling all over her.” The genie frowned and summoned a handkerchief which he used to wipe the remaining drool from the demons face. He left little room for protest, pinching Mao’s cheek to hold him still until he was cleaned. “There. Now, straighten up and act like a professional! Stomach in, chest out, head up, attaboy!” Prodding at the demons back to correct his posture, Genie rubbed his chin and looked Mao over. After a moment, he tsked and shook his head. “No, no, no! That won’t do at all. The coat has to go, signature or not!” He took hold of Mao’s jacket and firmly pulled it off, as well as the rest of the demons clothing, to reveal a surgical gown underneath.

“That’s better!” he cheered, tossing the demons clothes onto a side chair. “Now you’re ready!” Pushing the demon toward the staircase, Genie forced him upstairs to the bedroom while he continued to speak. “We are currently stationed in a bedroom. I have summoned all the tools you may require. If there are any you find missing, let me know. Remember to be respectful of the patient and their family, choose what is best for their chance of survival, and most importantly of all, you must contain yourself.” They came to a halt at the doorway to Urd’s room where he tightened his grip on Mao’s shoulder, lowering himself to whisper into his ear. “Otherwise I’ll see to it myself you do so.”

With that, he snapped a surgical mask over the demon's face and gently pushed him into Urd’s bedroom. Let the surgery begin.

Edited 2010-11-06 22:34 (UTC)

Empty room, full audience, it didn't matter as far as Mao was concerned. He'd let himself in without being polite and had made his demands known and as far as he was concerned, that was all he needed.

Any satisfaction he might have gotten out of this entrance, however, was immediately displaced by equal parts confusion, irritation, and offense at Genie's assault. He didn't even have time to get a word in edgewise as suddenly his face was attacked by handkerchief, his cheek pinched, his back poked, and... What just happened to his clothes?!

Mao continued his attempts at protest, but was barely able to get out a handful of sounds much less a full sentence. It wasn't until the surgical mask was put on his face that Mao managed to pull himself together, looking around the room to get his bearings and immediately turning to face Genie again. "Wait, hold on a minute here! You want me to attach an angel to another being to act as host, right? So where's the angel? I don't see anyone looking like that around here." Mao crossed his arms and scowled. Respectful to the patient and family? Stationing in the bedroom? The hell was going on here? Why did he have to be without his coat to do this? And what was with that blue guy's sudden change in demeanor on the way up (however brief it was)?

"Allow me." This must be the young scientist that Genie-san was talking about, Belldandy thought. He certainly seemed eccentric, and Belldandy was also certain that she had at least lain eyes on him before. The pool party... That was right. Belldandy recognized him, though she hadn't had the chance to speak with him prior to this. He exuded a demonic aura different than the demons attached to Nidhogg, but it was unmistakable; he was no mortal, and his skills weren't contained to simply tasks. He just may have been what they needed. At least, Belldandy prayed so.

With Urd at least cleaned up into a gray dress that Belldandy replaced her torn battle outfit with, Belldandy once again chanted the incantation to evoke World of Elegance.

The hole was bigger already? Belldandy bit her lower lip. Their time was running out.

Forgoing the usual pleasantries she would have opened up with in any other situation, Belldandy faced Mao, her face expressing determination. "Tell me what you need to know."

Genie was quick to approach W.O.E, worry appearing across his features at the sight of the hole. He inspected it carefully, tracing its outline in the air in front of her. After a brief pause, he said aloud what Belldandy had not. “It’s gotten bigger.” His voice was low and heavily concentrated. “The infection has worsened. One hundred and twenty seven millimetres, twelve point two centimetres, or five inches in the last half hour. It’s spreading a lot faster than I thought it would. We’ll have to act quickly.” He turned to face the others in determination. “If we wait any longer her entire torso may be consumed. We have approximately five hundred at ninety seconds before it expands another inch. Doctor, tell us what to do.”

Edited 2010-11-07 08:06 (UTC)

Who was this woman? Was she another goddess? Based on the similar markings on her face to Urd, Mao would guess so. She looked kind of familiar, too, though Mao couldn't place where he had seen her before. But his thoughts all but stopped as World of Elegance appeared, instead rearranging themselves as he began to analyze the scene in front of him. "This... is the angel?" he asked the air.

Wings typical of an angel, save for the dichotomy of black and white. Markings. Emerging from the goddess. Already attached? Was the symbiotic relationship already formed? The operation was likely to be a change of hosts. A hole in the shape of a heart in an oddly appropriate place. From what the genie had said, it was apparently getting bigger as time went on and time was essential. Mao made a note of the hole's current size as Genie listed it off.

Once again, the gears came grinding to a halt. A heart-shaped hole... It couldn't be. Is that what he meant by Darkness? He did feel something wrong about the entire situation. Mao pressed his lips together in a tight scowl. No one said anything about this. Nothing this risky. This was going to be more difficult than he thought.

In the silence that followed, one might have thought that Mao had completely ignored Belldandy and Genie's requests. But soon the boy spoke up. "What's the connection?" he asked. "Is this angel of yours attached physically or some other way? If it's attached to the heart as well, will the connection need to be severed? What's its nature?"

Edited 2010-11-07 08:41 (UTC)

Placing her hands on her chest, Belldandy thought the best way to explain would be to evoke her own angel, Holy Bell. Another magical force of wind expanded, a gentle melody being wrapped with the breeze exuded from her Angel of Air, as the eyes of blue and angel wings emerged from the small of Belldandy's back, wrapped in a pure white cloth. "An angel is a reflection of her goddess' soul, and her closest companion. We share the same body, the same heart; we are wholly connected in every way, and depend on each other. If it weren't for angels, a goddess wouldn't have access to high level programs and algorithms, but in order to support an angel, a goddess must have substantial power; a goddess' abundant power comes from her love for people. My elder sister is far more powerful than I am."

Belldandy sighed, looking at World of Elegance. She would have to tell them why this angel was both black and white, though, she felt like they had an idea. It was Urd's story to tell, but she wasn't able to. She wished that the circumstances were different. "You cannot simply forcibly pull an angel from her goddess; the psychological strain is enough to render even the most powerful of goddesses catatonic, and if too much time passes, the goddess and angel will both die, disconnected from each other. An angel takes on and becomes an integral part of a goddess' being, which is why we must take care in this procedure. We must somehow dive into Urd's consciousness and convince her to relinquish World of Elegance of her own will, which would buy us time to find a cure."

“When I found her last night I had experimentally glanced into her heart. I found W.O.E – her angel – in similar state to how we find her now. She was unconscious and physically restrained by Darkness. It appeared to have wrapped itself around her, constricting her completely.” Genie stroked his beard thoughtfully, pulling its end before he released it and allowed it to curl up once again. “If we were to sever those ties, do you think it would allow for us to transfer her between hosts more easily? The shock might wake her, allowing us just enough time to slip into her consciousness before the Darkness reacts.”

“It’s not immediate, it having taken some time to detect me when I had looked into her heart. But when it did, it began an amble assault. It wrapped itself around my mind and began to pull me into the Darkness. Because of that, my own link was forced to be broken otherwise I too would have found myself corrupted with the same Darkness.” He glanced at Mao. “This is why I had been looking for a stable connection tolerant of the effects Darkness. However, I am willing to provide this connection myself if necessary. I may be able to scatter fragments of my heart so the darkness will spread more slowly, forced to seek different paths opposed to drive toward one large entity of power.”

Mao could only stare as Holy Bell emerged from Belldandy. Was this really what angels were like in their world. Fascinating... Absolutely fascinating! To think that something like that could be possible...! It was nothing like any of the stories he had heard about Celestia. Nothing like any angels he'd heard about. He wanted to learn more. Oh how he wanted to learn more, but now wasn't the time. Besides, he'd probably get a pretty good idea once he got himself into Urd's heart.

"Then I'll go in," he said confidently. "That's what you need me to do, right? And I already said going in at least once was non-negotiable." It was a strange situation that Genie and Belldandy were describing. He'd never heard of anything like that before, and it was different from anything with Darkness that he'd experienced. Didn't sound like anything Riku had described before when they'd spoken, either. He'd just have to see what he could do when he went in.

"I can handle a little Darkness. I'm a demon--an Overlord. It can try as much as it likes," he said, eyes blazing. "But I want out of this get-up first. Give me my coat back." Why'd he even get put in this surgical outfit if he wasn't going to be doing that kind of surgery in it anyway?

Edited 2010-11-08 01:54 (UTC)

"We cannot approach this carelessly, which is why we have need of your assistance, Mao-san." Being an Overlord? The word meant nothing to Belldandy considering where she came from, but if it meant that Mao was qualified to do this, she wasn't going to complain. "I should be able to compile a shielding program to protect us from the darkness invading Nee-san's soul temporarily; as powerful as you may be, Mao-san, you can't be immune to the dangers that Paixao harbors. Otherwise, you wouldn't be stuck here, either."

Turning to Genie, Belldandy's face remained ever solemn in this situation. "There is one more thing. Genie-san, will you take it upon yourself to host World of Elegance temporarily? You are not mortal; that fact alone should enable you host her for a bit." Not to mention that you are Nee-san's 'special someone', enabling you to channel her energy so that the darkness wouldn't be able to steal that away, either... "I understand it's a lot to ask..."

Mao certainly was persistent, wasn’t he? But a deal was a deal. And even if he were to join him, at least he knew the demon would not be mucking around where he did not belong and intrude her privacy. Well, he certainly hoped not. But their time inside her heart would be short, leaving little time for sightseeing during their excursion. Were it longer, Genie surely would have packed lunches for everyone.

He looked down at Belldandy at the mention of his name, curious as to what she had to add. As he listened, his eyes widened at her words. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “No. No, no, no! I mean- Ah, I mean no!” The genie slapped his head in frustration. This wasn’t coming out right. “No, that’s not what I mean. I mean no, it would be no trouble at all.” Genie took the goddess by the hands and looked eagerly into her eyes. “In fact, I’d be honoured. Thank you! After all she’s done for me it’s the least I could do. I’ll host her as long as it takes to heal her heart.”

Nodding in approval at Belldandy’s shield, he looked back at Mao. “Perfect. That should buy us more time. But if things get to hairy in there you should leave immediately. Belldandy is right; Darkness will corrupt even the strongest of hearts. It does not care who or what you are, Demons or Overlord’s no less immune than anyone else. It’s best to be cautious, especially when we know so little about it and its possible effects.” Hovering over the demon, Genie poked him gently in the nose. “And the outfit is professional.” And hide any further drooling should Mao find himself unable of containing himself. That, and prove difficult to hide anything should he try to take samples of Urd’s heart for study. He knew how these mad scientists worked. He bunked with one in college.

Mao scowled at Belldandy. Of course she had to point something like that out. It wasn't like he wasn't working on getting out of here, or that the prinny working the dimensional gate couldn't hear him or lock onto him. That didn't mean he couldn't handle something like this. But whatever kind of shield program she was thinking of putting together--was she trying to say that she was going to do some kind of spell?--sounded pretty useful. The more time he had, the better.

He looked between the goddess and the Genie as they began their discussion over who would host World of Elegance. Mao wasn't entirely sure what was going on here, but it sounded like he had an answer as to who he was supposed to transfer the angel to now.

"I know enough about Darkness. You don't have to tell me any more. I can take care of this just fine." Neither of them had had to deal with it like he had, and his talk with Riku had only made Mao more confident in his abilities to fight it off. As long as he still knew where that line was in being a demon, he was going to be okay, right? And he knew it pretty well. "Professional for what? This doesn't sound like a literal surgery anymore." Seriously, he felt absolutely ridiculous.

"Thank you, Genie-san." Belldandy nodded. That was one less thing to worry about, at any rate. "Diving into the soul space of an individual is unstable, but this is our best option. Genie-san, you said you were able to grab a peek into Urd's soul earlier, correct? Please, try it again, and Mao-san and I shall accompany you. My barrier program should allow us somewhat safe passage through my elder sister's psyche, and once we reach her heart, Mao-san can look at her heart while we defend him from the encroaching darkness so that we may transfer World of Elegance over to you." It certainly sounded like a plan. A dangerous one, but when push came to shove, Belldandy wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Not when her precious elder sister was at stake.

In no mood for debate, Genie completely ignored Mao’s complaint the second time. Their deal may have assured him entry into Urd’ heart, but by no means promised that he would do so in his usual attire - likely full of scalpels, syringes and numerous other things he had no interest in imagining. Besides, his clothing would be returned to him by the end of the surgery, perfectly intact. He had no reason to fret. And who would see him in such uniform that had not already?

He looked to Belldandy with a nod then turned his attention to Urd’s still body. One would likely think the opposite but when he had found her she had been far livelier, easier to enter. Genie tsked. The window he had looked through before was closed at this point but maybe there was another way inside. When a door closes, a window opens – or maybe the other way around in this instants. He looked over Urd in thought, eyes slowly working their way down her body. There had to be another way into the heart… Genie paused.

“There.” He breathed.

With no explanation, Genie took hold of both Mao and Belldandy and pulled them close. A soft hum could be heard as a blinding light surrounded them and room around them vanish. They were in.

The space the trio found themselves in was no mere empty plane. There was ground to stand on, no ceiling or walls. Constantly shifting light surrounded them in the form of magical runes and symbols that would appear more at home in some high-tech algorithm. The programs that made up Urd, biological and divine and otherwise, swirled in visual strands of structure, rising up and into bright obscurity above them from the darker shadows below.

This was the same scenery Genie had seen before. The shadows beneath them, seemingly so far away before, had risen higher, the small light that signified World of Elegance grown dimmer.

Quickly becoming annoyed by what he thought were the other two's attempts to ignore him, Mao was about to let loose a series of biting complaints, all immediately silenced as the world around them changed. The young demon fell into silence, sucking in a small breath as he stared around the inside of what he could only assume was Urd's heart.

How different it was from his own! The data and runes that swirled about them...! But where were the residents? No matter where Mao looked, he couldn't see any signs of life--as much as parts of a heart could be considered such. No random generics, no palette swapped versions of Urd, nothing. Had the darkness gotten to them or was that just something demons had? With a trembling hand, Mao held tight to the arm of his glasses, his breathing becoming deeper. How fascinating! How absolutely fascinating!

Oh, but he couldn't lose it now. He was vaguely aware of Genie saying something about Mao being kicked out of the heart by the djinn if he did, and while he would have loved to explore as much as he could, this wasn't the time. He'd lost his chance to look through that time machine that way already.

So instead Mao pulled himself together, instead turning an analytical eye to the darkness around them. Another thing different from what he was used to. There was something about it that made him extremely uncomfortable. That feeling... It made him feel that if he were to be sucked in he would suffocate. Wickedness and everything that pushed a demon past what he should be into a territory most thought of as monstrous--and not in the acceptable, unit-type way. Something in his own heart responded to that darkness. It only added to his uneasiness.

It wasn't long before Mao had sword in hand, his teeth clenched and shoulders tensed. "There. That point of light, right?" he asked, pointing at the light in question. All of his former excitement seemed to have dissipated. All he wanted now was to get this over with.

"I see it." Belldandy nodded, a divine wind encompassing her entire being, clearing after a scant few seconds revealing her in her own battle uniform, similar to Urd's, only white, gold, and blue rather than red and black. Taking off one of her earrings, it lengthened into a stave which she poised, ready for anything which may be lurking. Luckily, even if they couldn't rely entirely on sight, as a goddess of wind, any noise would be good enough for her to be able to discern her opponents' whereabouts.

The space within her sister did little to surprise her. Belldandy actually thought that it was serene in a sense, peaceful, steady, much like her elder sister. The sinister darkness, though, was obviously because of the hole in World of Elegance's heart. Even if Urd was half divine and half demonic, she was an amazingly caring and warm person.

There was nothing warm and caring about the sinistral darkness surrounding them.

"Please, Mao-san, make your way. Genie-san, please guard the flank. I'll take the lead."

“That’s it.” Genie confirmed and nodded in return to the demon. He immediately noticed the weapon he had drawn, eyes wandering across the blade in debate if the demon had ever used it. Mao did not appear to him as much of a fighter but who was he to let looks deceive him? However, even for all Mao’s talk, the genie could not help but suspect the Darkness to have been at fault. It may not have reached them but its presence was notable to those who chose to acknowledge it. Some could see it, sometimes practically excreting from an individual, detect its foul stench, or the most common, feel it. He turned next to Belldandy who had drawn her own weapon. She appeared surprisingly composed, focused, and ready to take charge. In fact, she already had but Genie was by no means about to argue. If anyone knew their way inside the heart of a goddess, it was a goddess themselves.

With no weapon of his own to summon, he simply looked between the others and clenched his fists. In the darkness that had become (or possibly even was) Urd’s heart, Genie’s natural glow was more than enough to make up for the lack of light the runes would every so often revoke when they moved. But he knew the deeper they travelled the more dependant they would become of his light. However, even he could not conquer the Darkness. It would not be long before it snuffed out his own light; another reason they would need to hurry.

“Got it, let’s move.”

Edited 2010-11-16 05:30 (UTC)

As the trio made their way further, the runes and symbols around them suddenly shifted, changing fro their myriad blues, purple and white to a deep, dark fuschia. Unfortunately, Genie's earlier presence into Urd's heart had allowed the permeating darkness to prepare for further intrusion. It had corrupted Urd's various bio-rhythmic algorithms to defend against them as if they were a virus. As such, the strands of light around them shot out towards the trio, crackling with dangerous energy. Additionally, the darkness itself was growing more sentient, reaching out to snare anything it could hold on to.

The sudden change immediately sent the demon on alert. Mao had just been thinking that this was too easy. The Darkness was a problem, sure, but where were the defenses? It was all Mao could do to stop himself before he ran right into one of the strands of light, coming to a skidding stop just as one hit just in front of him. He muttered a few curses under his breath and dodged and weaved to escape the attacks. He didn't know what the darkness would do to him--and he wasn't sure he wanted to--but that light? That would probably hurt. A lot.

"Do you want to be helped or not?!" he snapped to the air, trying to deflect the attacks away with his sword. Damn it... He couldn't tell in here what was safe to attack and what wasn't.

"She can't help it, Mao-san." Belldandy simply stated, noticing the runes. The programs were all wrong, obviously. Narrowing her eyes, Belldandy snapped her fingers, as several hundred sparks of light shot out from her fingers, illuminating the darkness for what it was for several seconds, giving her allies the visual aid for their targets. "Holy Wind Press!" Twirling her stave, Belldandy summoned a torrential wind which sliced several of the enemy shadows. She then followed by quickly transporting herself to each individual target quicker than the naked eye could follow and smashing her stave into each one, as a feral creature would attack its prey. However, no joy was in her expression, as this was a matter of life or death.

Genie grit his teeth, just able to dodge the ray of light that had shot at him by the skin of his teeth. He looked up at the rune, surprised by the sudden change of demeanor. However, he had not long to do so. Only seconds after collecting himself he found another rune had already cast sight on him and set fire. The genie spun around the face the rune, a bright light appearing in his hand to reveal a large key shaped weapon, held similar to a sword. Though, the end of the blade oddly did not appear to be cut, instead fashioned with a replica of his lamp. He held the keyblade up used it to block the light and force it back to its source. The rune was immediately obliterated. Hopefully Urd was not harmed in the process, the absence of a rune and symbol or two incapable of causing ailment.

Summoning the rest of his battle garb, nothing particularly special than a mere vest and turban, Genie turned to look at the others. “It’s the Darkness controlling her.” He shouted in return to Mao, adding onto what Belldandy had already begun to explain. The two duplicates of himself he had summoned continued to slash through the light and send a series of magic blasts to absorb the dangerous rays. “And it will get worse if we don’t hurry.” He glanced back to his duplicates and spoke through a thick Scottish accent. “Common laddies, put yer backs into it!”

While Belldandy's powerful attacks kept the darkness at bay, Genie's magic did likewise for the anti-virus program Urd's corrupted self sent toward them. The system was overwhelmed by the onslaught. The darkness, self-preservation always the key, receded further down, adding to the inky shadows that waited for the trio. A series of clicks and a resonant hum sounded as the color of the light changed from the dangerous fuschia back to its proper divine coloring. Relief would be short lived, however, as the light, runes and sundry holy scenery around them dimmed with growing speed.

Darkness altering a heart... How absolutely terrifying! It sent chills up his spine. Chills of interest, of course. It was a shame that this was such a dire situation. He would have been interested in seeing what other kinds of changes could happen due to the effects of Darkness. Just as long as it wasn't him.

It was then Mao noticed the dimming light around them, his mouth set in a determined scowl as he crouched, fingertips lightly brushing the floor beneath him. Mao narrowed his eyes, focusing on the tiny point of light in the distance, and licked his suddenly far-too-dry lips.

One chance.

He could do this. He'd already been lauded as a specialist in this kind of thing, hadn't he? Even if he had been dragged into this--tricked into it with his expectations, rather--he wasn't about to fail now. He wouldn't allow anyone the satisfaction of knowing that he had failed. And just think... If he could take out the darkness lying within someone else, what did he have to fear from his own.

His scowl twitched upward into a smirk just before he pushed off, screaming.

With a thrust of his hand, Mao summoned a block of ice in front of him and landed. Quicker this time, he pushed off of it with enough force to shatter, fragments of ice falling to the floor below. The other goddess and the Genie could take care of them. Making sure he got there before anything happened was the primary issue now.

He repeated the process, block of ice after block of ice, the faint light growing closer and closer.

As expected from how powerful Urd was, the shadows invading her heart were just as much if not more so. Without Genie and Mao, Belldandy probably would have been entirely drained of all of her strength by now. Genie's light managed to keep things fairly lit, as Belldandy looked to the distance to the faint light of Urd's heart, ebbing slowly away. It seemed that with all of the distance they covered, none was traversed at all. Belldandy's eyebrows narrowed; she couldn't allow this to discourage her. She couldn't.

"We're losing time." Belldandy stated. "We can't stay here and keeping fighting them!"

All three genies proceeded to throw one another around, as though part of some circus act, resulting in an acrobatic display while they used one another to fight. As a result they were able to eliminate more of the dangerous rays and emit more light for the group to see. But it was not long before the reality of Belldandy’s words sunk in. Regardless how hard they fought, they could never eliminate the Darkness. Not here. They were wasting their time with a battle that they could not win here.

Mao appeared to have caught onto the same idea, deciding to press forward when there was little more they could do here. It was his method of moving forward that had ultimately made him notice. Turning to Belldandy, he gestured for her to follow. “Come on!” His duplicates could do the fighting, at least for a little while. It would be distraction enough until they reached their destination. Following after Mao, he flew ahead of the demon and prepared himself to slash through anything that challenged them on the path to World of Elegance.

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Worse? Or better? [active]

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