THEO DAMASCA
Banshee
Posts: 179
Status:
Married
Partner:
Freyja Damasca
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 11, 2024 20:33:58 GMT
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Post by THEO DAMASCA on Sept 8, 2024 18:46:49 GMT
Frowning heavily, Theo taped Bo’s diaper into place. As though the little guy could already pick up on the sombre mood in the house, he let out a squeal of protest, trying to squirm his way off the changing mat before his pants were back on. ”Wait wait wait, let dada get this…” Theo puffed. He bent his head, blowing a raspberry on Bo’s bare belly to try and distract him as he pulled his pants back on over his kicking feet – a feet way easier when he’d been smaller and less mobile. Bo laughed, the sound brightening his mood for just a second. It was hard to worry too much when you could hear your kid’s happiness. He bent again, blowing one more raspberry, accompanied by Bo gripping his beard, before he swept him up.
The clock was ticking on how long it would be before the house filled with the crackling atmosphere of fear again. Hazel was due home and the moment they sat her down she’d know another revelation was coming. If she had any clue that he’d seen her with Harmony in town she’d have realised already that she might be in trouble with her parents. Theo could hear the click of those moving hands of time in his head, staying slow and steady like a funeral march despite the rapid flutter of his heart. Theo held Bo against his chest, trying to use the slower beat of his son’s heart to slow his own.
Don’t plunge too deep into the darkness yet. Bouncing his way out of the nursery, Theo headed down the stairs, entertaining Bo as he went by swooping him through the air. Maybe it would’ve been easier to drop him and Eloise off with Frank and Kit, this wasn’t a story he’d want to have to tell either of them, although that plan hadn’t gone so well with Hazel. Both of them were old enough to pick up on the mood in the room, Bo catching enough of what was said around him to be repeating stuff now, even if he didn’t understand it. They were also a distraction for the three of them though, the needs of a baby always outweighing what was going on in your head and it felt like all three of them would need that by the time the conversation was done.
He swept into the kitchen, buzzing his lips to make aeroplane noises as Bo swept through the air superman style, his dad’s hands keeping him aloft and safe. As he caught sight of Freyja, he smiled wanly, bringing Bo in to land on the ground. ”We should be all clear on the diaper front ‘til we’re through,” he said tightly. One tiny fist was already clutching at the calf of his jeans to pull that sturdy little body upright and join in the conversation between his parents. ”Maybe we should make some coffee, or tea, sweet tea.” There were plenty of old wives’ tales that were bullshit, but sweet tea had always helped him with shock. In the cold pre-Freyja days he’d curled around it, huddled on the couch, trying to bring some warmth back into bones that felt frozen solid at the core.
By the time the front door swung open, Theo was pouring tea into three cups. He dumped sugar in, probably too heavy, as he called out. ”Hey Hazelnut, you wanna come sit in the living room?” That alone was probably enough to start the alarm bells ringing, but he offered her a reassuring smile as he carried the cups in carefully, setting them down on the coffee table. Bo’s brighter babble of excitement over his big sister being home pushed the start of it all back a couple of minutes, giving the nerves time to settle in again.
Theo sank onto the couch, one hand wrapped around his cup. He took a scalding sip, his eyes growing serious as he watched his daughter over the top of it. ”We wanted to talk to you about Harmony,” he said lightly. Dragging his teeth over his lower lip, Theo let out a breath through his nose. ”I thought we came to an agreement that you wouldn’t see her anymore, Hazelnut. I saw you at with her, I know you think I was being over the top about her but … there are things about her you don’t know.”
A deep breath in, a ragged one let out as he propped his forearms on his knees, folding down around the pain in his chest. The last time they’d been here he’d described his death to his daughter, now she was gonna hear what led up to it. "Has Harmony explained to you what she is? She’s … worse than a bad influence. Haze, Harmony was the person your guidance counsellor should have been targeting. She committed the murder I was blamed for.” Just thinking about what he’d seen her doing in the alleyway had his heart racing again, his hands shaking faintly as he listed his cup to his lips with both hands.
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FREYJA DAMASCA
Psychic
Posts: 184
Age:
28
Occupation:
Analyst at The Mystic Falls Courier
Status:
Married
Partner:
Theo Damasca
Played by:
Julia
“But it’s hard, when you’re hurt, to let somebody wreck you again.”
Last seen Nov 17, 2024 18:29:01 GMT
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Post by FREYJA DAMASCA on Sept 21, 2024 22:58:39 GMT
 ━ they set me on fire, and i did a lot of burning ━
It wasn’t irritation, really. It was concern masked as that, the deathly kind of terror that made her fear for her baby’s life. Hazel might’ve been ‘all grown up’ and off to college now, but she was still their baby, and she’d stay that way forever.
Speaking of, their newest baby was not at all interested in feeding anymore when she heard her brother coming down the stairs━or, rather, the airplane. She popped off and swivelled her head around, squealing with delight when she saw Bo. Freyja snorted softly, tucking herself back into her shirt, muttering, “Well, that’s over now,” As Bo came bounding over, stopped short of the stairs, then shuffled down the three steps, grabbing the railing as he went.
“Ehwowee!” He called, and Eloise giggled as he started to play Peekaboo with her.
“I didn’t make sweet tea this week!” Freyja called back, but didn’t bother to tell Theo that she didn’t want a cup. Either he’d remember she couldn’t have it, or he’d make a cup because he was so frazzled, and she didn’t want to make him feel worse than he already did. She joined in on Peekaboo, giving Eloise a light jostle whenever Bo appeared from the other side of his hands━it only made her laugh louder.
Then the door opened, and Theo called out to Hazel, and, suddenly, a jolt of nerves shot through Freyja. She tried to sigh out most of her discomfort, but then Eloise was sitting up on Freyja’s knee, wiggling like she wanted to go with Bo as he ran to his sister, except she wasn’t even crawling yet.
“Ay-zell!” Bo practically screeched, running over to give his big sister a hug, and it took a few minutes for everyone to settle in the living room.
Freyja stayed right where she was the whole time, sitting in the armchair facing the stairs, offering Hazel a soft, tired smile. “Hi, baby,” She said lightly, not ready to be firm just yet, especially when Hazel likely knew something ‘bad’ was coming.
Bo followed her back down the stairs, then crawled up onto the couch (with only some difficulty) himself, eager to be part of the conversation… only because he didn’t know what it was about. Freyja didn’t exactly want him around for this━especially because he was absorbing everything they were saying━but she also couldn’t lock him in his room.
Freyja watched as Theo tried to breathe his way through it, and she suddenly wished she was there, at his side, holding his hand. She gave Eloise a soft squeeze instead, whose green eyes were curiously peering at each of them. She sighed heavily as he continued, frowning at him, then at Hazel. She wasn’t there to witness it herself, but she’d seen him directly after, had watched the way it tore through every fibre of his being. Even if he hadn’t told her the truth that first night, she still saw how badly it’d rocked him.
But then she remembered burning that lasagna, and setting off the fire alarm while they were in his shower. That part alone could’ve made her smile… if the tension in the room wasn’t still so palpable.
“We didn’t want t’scare ya before. We hoped you would’ve just listened and knew we were serious, but you didn’t.” And, honestly, Freyja would’ve done the same thing at Hazel’s age. “She ain’t safe to be around. We don’t even know if she’s really your friend, Hazel.” It was hard to say it, but it was true. After what that fucking girl had said to Theo when he discovered her in Hazel’s bedroom? Gosh, Freyja coulda strangled that little bitch herself.
HAZEL DAMASCA |  |
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HAZEL DAMASCA
Banshee
Posts: 98
Age:
18
Occupation:
Student
Status:
Single
Played by:
Jodi
Girls just want to have funds
Last seen Nov 4, 2024 21:23:17 GMT
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Post by HAZEL DAMASCA on Oct 1, 2024 13:51:18 GMT
Hazel was genuinely confused about the whole Harmony situation. Like, really confused. There were a few times she almost told Harmony they couldn’t hang out anymore because her dad said so, but every time she bit her tongue. It seemed so uncool. In her mind, she was an adult now, capable of making her own decisions about who she could and couldn’t hang out with. It felt lame to say, “I can’t hang out with you because my dad told me I can’t,” especially at nineteen. Plus, Abi still hung out with Harmony, and her dad didn’t care—so why did hers? Then there was the whole pack thing, explained to her by both Harmony and Kit. But could she really be in two packs at once? What would happen if she tried to leave Harmony’s pack? She kept these questions to herself, and there was no point asking Abi since she was just as clueless. Hazel was caught between a rock and a hard place. Someone was going to be upset, and it was probably going to be with her, something she never handled well. She couldn’t bring herself to cut Harmony off after being friends for so long just because her dad thought something was off about her vibe. So, she said nothing about her dad’s conversation. In fact, she pretended it never happened. Smart? No. Necessary? Absolutely. Pulling into the driveway, she swung open the car door and stepped out, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She pushed through the front door, dropping the bag at the bottom of the stairs. Just as she was about to call for her parents, her dad’s voice came from the living room. “Hey,” she said, her face lighting up even more when she saw both Bo and Eloise, her younger brother rushing over to give him a hug. "Hey!" She reached down to pick him up, giving him a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. But the atmosphere was anything but cheerful. It was serious. Hazel carefully lowered Bo back down to the floor, heading in to where were parents were sat. She sank into the couch, her hands resting in her lap, resisting the urge to pick at her nails. When her dad brought up Harmony, her heart sank. She’d been caught. “I said I’d see her less, but you’re asking me to cut off my friend out of nowhere just because you don’t like her… I should be allowed to choose who I’m friends with.” She’d always appreciated her parents for being pretty easygoing, but this felt like too much. Her frown deepened at his next comment. “Yeah, she explained, but what do you mean she committed the murder? Harmony wouldn’t kill anyone.” She glanced at her mom for support, but she was agreeing with her dad, suggesting Harmony wasn't even her friend. Hazel shook her head at their accusations. “And you’re going to believe the guidance counsellor? The guy who literally killed you?” She gestured toward her dad. Were they really trusting that man? THEO DAMASCA |
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THEO DAMASCA
Banshee
Posts: 179
Status:
Married
Partner:
Freyja Damasca
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 11, 2024 20:33:58 GMT
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Post by THEO DAMASCA on Oct 8, 2024 19:32:18 GMT
What he wouldn’t have given for a simple night with his family, the siren and all the tragedy and violence that she’d brought into their lives held out of sight by the four walls of their home. If she’d left Hazel alone they might just have managed it, but instead, like a parasite, Harmony had wormed her way into their lives. Taking away his sense of security for so long, painting a target on his back, slithering into Hazel’s life and pretending that she gave a shit about their daughter when really she was probably just looking for her next meal. It might tear his heart out, but Theo had no intention of letting that be Hazel. Still, revealing the truth and bringing that much more darkness to his daughter’s life by doing it was tearing at him.
The warm mood in the living room started to fragment the minute he’d come down with Bo in his arms. Usually he’d have swept in with his son in his arms, dropping a kiss on top of Freyja’s head as she fed Eloise, being those people and embarrassing Hazel when she got home and found her parents being sweet enough to rot her teeth. Instead the only sugar any of them were gonna get was in the tea he was busying himself with. His lips had quirked faintly as Freyja misinterpreted the plan for the tea, but he ploughed on all the same, needing to keep himself busy until Hazel walked in through the door. Even after he’d need something to hold onto the same way he had Freyja on the night he’d seen Hazel’s new bestie eating[ a young man on campus.
Eloise and Bo’s laughter cut through the thickest fog of anxiety. Despite what the hunter had done, trying to find justice for the boy, he was still here. He’d been at Freyja’s side to see their daughter’s birth, they’d had an incredible life together since, two more beautiful kids. Even if he had to terrify Hazel again to keep her safe, he’d do it. Bo’s screech and the thunder of feet that seemed to grow every time he looked away, announced the end of any contemplation over the whole thing. Theo dragged in a deep breath, gripped all three cups and headed into the living room. The mugs – most of which would probably go undrunk – were set down on the coffee table and he sat, curling in around that part of him that still went ice cold at the thought of what he’d seen that night.
The tea didn’t thaw it, just burning his throat as he gulped it down, trying to steel himself for this. Theo puffed out a breath as Hazel immediately questioned the agreement they’d come to, finding the gaps in what had been said in a way only teenagers could do – well, you didn’t specifically say I couldn’t. ”This isn’t about whether I like her or not Hazel. It’s bigger than that, bigger than I told you.” Although if he’d let a little more of his fear bleed through over lunch that day maybe Hazel would’ve figured it out enough to do just what he’d asked of her. God, he wanted to tell her that she could literally pick anybody else in the town to make friends with, but that could just end up creating an even bigger problem.
Another ragged breath puffed out of him as Freyja tried to make her daughter see sense about the whole thing. They’d never been those sort of parents who locked their kid down constantly, although with all that had happened in their lives she could’ve done. ”Your mom’s right. We don’t know why she decided to hang around you.” Although Harmony had been quick to threaten both Hazel and Bo when she’d been confronted about hanging out with Hazel at the house. If it hadn’t been for her reaction to the news that he died in her place, he’d have thought that this was her cold, calculated attempt at keeping him quiet about what had happened.
”You don’t know her Haze,” Theo managed tightly, the description of what he’d seen in the alley that night threatening to spill right out of his mouth in a vicious torrent that he knew would scare her. Mention of the guidance counsellor, the hunter had him puffing out a breath that was a little too close to hysteria. ”He didn’t know a thing about her and that was the problem.” Theo drew in a deep breath, focusing entirely on Hazel instead of giving himself the comfort of glancing at Bo or Eloise instead.
”I was pulled to a death on campus,” he started. ”You know what that’s like, Hazelnut. I didn’t have any choice in it and the killer wasn’t gone this time. She was there when I got to the alleyway. Harmony was there. She told me herself that she’d killed the boy, she was … she still had his blood on her and she threatened me to get me to keep quiet about what I’d seen. I can’t have been the only one who caught a glimpse of what happened that night. Months later, your guidance counsellor came for me. He’d been told that I was the one in that alley, that I’d killed that boy. Your mom was at my apartment that night, she saw the state I was in when I got home. All that was Harmony’s fault.” But young as she was, would Hazel believe that her friend, someone who looked as young as her, could do such a thing?
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FREYJA DAMASCA
Psychic
Posts: 184
Age:
28
Occupation:
Analyst at The Mystic Falls Courier
Status:
Married
Partner:
Theo Damasca
Played by:
Julia
“But it’s hard, when you’re hurt, to let somebody wreck you again.”
Last seen Nov 17, 2024 18:29:01 GMT
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Post by FREYJA DAMASCA on Oct 25, 2024 17:21:54 GMT
━ they set me on fire, and i did a lot of burning ━
Eloise began fussing as the tension in the room grew heavy, and Freyja shifted her over the shoulder that had a burping cloth on it. She rocked her gently and patted her back, though Freyja suspected she didn’t only need to release her gas. Something in this situation was wrong, and even Eloise knew it.
She frowned at Theo as he told his story, wishing again that she could reach over and hold his hand, but staying where she was instead. She didn’t want to distract him from this━he needed to get it out.
“She’s the reason I lost your dad.” Freyja croaked, for added measure, once Theo was done. Her eyes━cloudy after his explanation━flicked to Hazel. “The reason we lost him… when you were still in my belly.” She drew in a long breath, “That night he came home, after he saw her, he was a mess. We didn’t… know ‘bout each other then, so he had t’lie, thinkin’ I was just a regular human, but I saw how shook up he was. She did that to ‘im.” And Hazel finally had to understand what that meant━that Harmony was dangerous to be around.
HAZEL DAMASCA | |
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HAZEL DAMASCA
Banshee
Posts: 98
Age:
18
Occupation:
Student
Status:
Single
Played by:
Jodi
Girls just want to have funds
Last seen Nov 4, 2024 21:23:17 GMT
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Post by HAZEL DAMASCA on Nov 4, 2024 21:23:17 GMT
Hazel loved coming home from college to her parents' house. There was always a warm, home-cooked meal on the table, and it was a chance to get her laundry done without the ridiculous laundrette prices on campus. Her room was always spotless, the bed freshly made, which was a luxury compared to her college room, where her bed was lucky to be made once a week. Mornings were too rushed to fix her sheets before sprinting to class, but she was pretty sure most of her friends had unmade beds too. But today, when she walked through the door, she wasn’t met with that usual warmth and excitement—at least not from her parents, though her siblings were as cheerful as ever, clearly unaware of the tension brewing in the air. Immediately, an uncomfortable ball of anxiety tightened in her chest. It was about Harmony. Now she found herself caught between wanting to respect her parents and pushing back against their growing suspicions. Her frown deepened as her dad made a comment. “What do you mean you don’t know why she’d want to hang out with me? Maybe because she likes me?” she responded, a slight edge to her voice. That had to be the reason, right? But her parents seemed fixated on the guidance counselor’s story, which only made Hazel’s unease grow. She chewed at her fingernails as her dad recounted his version of events, her mom affirming the story. The room fell into a tense silence while Hazel processed their words. “But… why would she kill some random boy?” Her hand dropped from her mouth as she looked between her parents. “How do you know it was her, though? Couldn’t it have been like… one of those shapeshifters or something?” Desperately, she searched for any way to suggest her parents were mistaken. Her shoulders slumped, her expression growing even more sorrowful. “So… you think she’s been using me?” She felt her voice tremble, a tear forming that she struggled to hold back. First Lex, and now Harmony. THEO DAMASCA |
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THEO DAMASCA
Banshee
Posts: 179
Status:
Married
Partner:
Freyja Damasca
Played by:
ANGE
Last seen Nov 11, 2024 20:33:58 GMT
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Post by THEO DAMASCA on Nov 11, 2024 20:32:22 GMT
Parents shouldn’t have to terrify their kids to keep them safe from nightmare world that lurked around the edges of their lives. Hazel should’ve had the carefree college experience he’d had – for the most part. Bodies had turned up around campus from time to time, the voices in his head never gone for long, but he’d always known that his parents were safe back in Okinawa (well, his mom at least). He hadn’t been picturing them laying dead in a ditch, some hunter’s blade lodged in their chests. Theo swallowed, trying to shift the lump in his throat as he realised that would be just one more nightmare to swirl around in his daughter’s head.
His gaze ticked up to Eloise as she started to fuss in her mama’s arms. She was still just a baby, but all of this was already creeping into her life too, the same way it had Bo’s as he’d stared his murderer in the eye. Looking back up showed him twin frowns on mother and daughter, undoubtedly each for slightly different reasons.
”Maybe she does, honey,” Theo said tightly as the hurt seemed to edge into Hazel’s voice. If he’d been in her place, he’d have desperately wanted to cling onto the idea that his friendship was normal too, that it was based on honest feelings instead of some twisted attempt to continue torturing the guy who’d already died in your place. ”I don’t know what she’s feeling, all I know is that I’m scared that she’s doing it for all the wrong reasons.” It wasn’t as though Harmony didn’t know who Hazel was. She’d found out right in this house and had tossed his warnings to leave his daughter alone. If she’d genuinely cared about Hazel, she wouldn’t have continued to bring Hazel into her world.
Gratitude flooded Theo’s expression as he looked up at Freyja, the corners of his lips rising in a mournful smile for just a heartbeat. She’d held him together that night, love chasing the terror out of him. He’d had to hide the truth from her, the real explanation catching in his throat like it was wrapped in thorns as sharp as Harmony’s teeth. ”I couldn’t shake what I’d seen,” he muttered. ”It was worse than any call I’d ever gotten, Haze.” He hated putting the mental image of her friend eating a boy in her brain, but if it was what it was going to take to get Hazel to see Harmony was a monster, he’d do it, then he’d try and hold his daughter’s life together for her the same way Freyja had for him.
The image had to be sinking in. Hazel was chewing at her nails before she asked about what was probably the worst part of this. Theo swallowed back the metallic taste in his mouth, letting his mind drift back to that alleyway. ”She said he wouldn’t stop hitting on her. That her … kind … had always eaten people.” All of that because the kid hadn’t listened to the word no. ”Maybe it was one of those things, but she recognised me when I found her hanging out here with you, Hazel. She threatened you and Bo to keep me from telling you about it then.” And as though she’d needed to keep reminding him, she’d just grown closer and closer to their daughter.
As Hazel’s voice trembled, Theo pushed to his feet. Something still shook inside of him, but for his kids he’d push it aside. He glanced at Freyja as he rounded the coffee table to sit next to Hazel. Theo settled an arm around her shoulders, wanting to somehow stop her heart from breaking. ”I don’t know, Hazelnut,” he said hoarsely. ”You understand why me and your mom had to warn you about her, right? All we’ve ever wanted to do was keep you safe and sometimes that includes from people who call themselves your friends.” He reached out his other hand to his wife, wanting to draw her and Eloise closer, Bo was already in front of them, trying to squirm his way up onto the couch between his dad and big sister.
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FREYJA DAMASCA
Psychic
Posts: 184
Age:
28
Occupation:
Analyst at The Mystic Falls Courier
Status:
Married
Partner:
Theo Damasca
Played by:
Julia
“But it’s hard, when you’re hurt, to let somebody wreck you again.”
Last seen Nov 17, 2024 18:29:01 GMT
|
Post by FREYJA DAMASCA on Nov 17, 2024 18:29:01 GMT
━ they set me on fire, and i did a lot of burning ━
Instinctively, she hugged Eloise a little tighter when Theo mentioned how Harmony had threatened their children. If Freyja had been there, she never would’ve let Harmony get away with it. That little bitch wouldn’t have left their house alive━or at least not with all the hair on her scalp. Half of it would’ve been burned off.
As much as she hated the girl who’d wormed her way back into their lives, she hated even more how it affected their daughter. Hazel thought she had a close friend in Harmony, only to find out it’d been a lie all along. “I’m sorry, Haze,” Freyja said softly, standing as Theo reached for her. She tucked Eloise into her chest as she stood, then made her way over to the couch, sitting on Hazel’s other side. She put Eloise on one thigh again, facing her out so she could see what was going on, and the baby reached for her sister, her tiny fist not doing much in the way of gripping Hazel’s sleeve, but she certainly tried.
Freyja leaned over to hold underneath Bo’s arm, helping him climb up onto the couch. He’d wanted to get between Theo and Hazel, but supposedly being between Hazel and Freyja was just as good. “This ain’t somethin’ we wanted to keep from you, I promise. When ya asked us last time ‘bout there bein’ no more secrets, we didn’t know how t’say it. We hoped you woulda just listened, but you deserve t’know the truth, too. We just didn’t wanna hurt you,” She was reiterating what she’d said before, but giving a little more explanation, especially now that Hazel was upset by it. It was never supposed to be this way━the life she’d imagined with Theo never had these awful things in it, but now they were stuck with them, and they had to do the best they could.
Bo, obviously realizing his sister was upset, leaned his head into her arm and wrapped his own around her (as much as he could), not having the vocabulary to say what he wanted, but showing it all the same. And it felt wrong to praise Bo while the focus was clearly Hazel, but she was still their mother, and he had to know that what he was doing was good. “Aw, that’s so nice, Bo. You givin’ Hazel a hug ‘cause she’s upset?” He responded happily,
“Yah!”
“That’s real nice of ya. You’re so sweet.” It hurt to be positive while this was clearly ripping her eldest daughter apart, but what could she do?
Freyja rubbed Bo’s back, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his head. Then she extended her arm to Hazel, and pecked her temple next. She was loved, and she was supported, and even if everyone else in her life was a fraud, she’d always have her family.
HAZEL DAMASCA | |
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