Character Sheet
The Mysterious Orphan

Name: Lotte, daughter of Henrik and Anelie
Sexuality: Pansexual
Age: 18
Species: Lamia, Central Lands Human Culture
Level: 3
Class: Hunter
Weapons: Bow, Knife

XP: 2/18

Description: A tall lamia, with short blond hair, and blue eyes, dressed in a protective vest and a noble's hunting shirt. They are muscular, well-formed and handsome, and have slightly yellowish eyes and a forked tongue. Their snake-half is in a forest pattern that helps for blending in, except for the occasional splash of Tyrian purple.

Traits:

Just Devotions (Racial--Human, Central, Cultural)(Level 0): Humans in some parts of the world worship the Gods, vast and sometimes unknowable beings that do grant blessings to those that believe in them, magical blessings. But even the lowliest of the pious knows how to pray to them, how to do the right supplications, how to act in the proper ways. This knowledge can sometimes be put to good use, though the Gods rarely turn their eyes to every little prayer.

Wholesome Farm Looks (Human, Central, Physical, Level 1): Though most of the people of the Central lands, that mass of Kingdoms, Princedoms, Dukedoms, Duchess States, and more, are of course quite poor, they are a hardy, hard-working people, and sometimes this life less beats a person down and more hones them. They have reasonably good looks, and even more importantly, look trustworthy, clean-cut, and otherwise like the kind of person who'd never lied a day in their life or slacked off a single hour, either. This remains even after becoming a lamia, though it is... tempered, obviously.

Snake Eyes (Level 1, Physical, Lamia): You can see in the dark pretty well. It isn't perfect, but the night is not nearly so dark and full of dangers as you expected it would be, for whatever reason.


Forest Wanderer (0, Pre-Class): The forest is a fascinating place for a child, as long as they don't go too far. As one gets used to it, one learns more about its ins and outs, and while some of it only applies to the forest that such a child lived in at first, much of it is quite helpful later.

Forest Eyes (Level 1. Class): As one could have eyes that pick out every tiny detail of the tundra, so can one be used to seeing in the dark forest tracks, possibilities, old growth, traps, and anything else, especially when one knows how to use your ears and nose to aid it. It is remarkable how much you can see, when you see what is actually there.

Hunter's Mettle (Level 1, Class): To hunt, one needs a bow, an arrow, and perhaps a knife for self-defense. Having some skill at them is inevitable, having solid skill at them is admirable, and quite useful.

Steady Arm (Level 2, Class): You have a strong, consistent aim. You're not a superlative archer, at least by the standards of adventurers, but you don't have off moments, and you don't waver from being able to hit your target, even if you're not doing the fancier tricks.

Leave Few Traces (Level 2, Class): The experience of being on one side of the hunt makes you wonder how you'd hide your tracks if you were being hunted, or tracked by hostile enemies, as sometimes does happen in adventures. You've begun to practice how not to be followed in the woods, and perhaps elsewhere.


Mending Knowledge, Basic (Level 0, Pre-Class, Healing Priest): You know how to apply poultrices, and you know the basic ingredients of a number of potions that cure headaches, deal with common pains, put someone into a gentle sleep, and other minor things. You can also bandage someone properly. You are not very good at this, merely adequate... but that's more than what most people are.


Whitlin' Ways (Level 1, Common): A man or woman who knows how to whittle will never want for whistles, or spoons, or any number of goods. It's a useful, solid sort of skill, and one that could be made into a trade. It also makes a pretty decent way to pass the time, and the person who whittles never lacks for a knife in sticky situations.

Penny Pincher (Level 1, General): You know the value of a Pfin, and how to keep from wasting all of your money, even if you're far from a merchant. Money is something you're familiar with.

Steel Nerves (General, Level 3): You've seen enough strange places and done enough fantastic things that you are less likely to panic in terrible situations, and more likely to think things through, however difficult. This doesn't mean you can't panic at all, but you have a grip on those nerves. In battle and danger only, this unfortunately doesn't help at all with social anxiety.


Divine Sense (Level 0, Divine): You can sense when someone is a Demigod, and there's at least the potential ability--though you have not figured it out yet--to try to track people through their divine 'scent.' A person's 'scent' gets stronger as they get more magically and divinely powerful... but on the other hand, you now have a 'scent' of your own, that will allow other demigods to know you for what you are, increasingly as you grow more powerful yourself.

Captivating Eyes (Level 2, Divine): You can sometimes 'catch' people with your eyes. If you're concentrating, they'll find it slightly more difficult to look away, though any sense of threat or danger breaks it immediately, and they'll hear your words clearly, actually listening… or at least hearing them. There's no requirement to listen to them, nor does it seem as if anyone's mind is being altered in any way, but it's an interesting, if bizarre, power, and certainly is a new take on 'lost in their eyes.'

Slithering Shadows (Level 3, Divine): You can blend into the shadows better than you should be able to. At night, and in darker areas, you can seem to shift away from sight. It doesn't work well in a wide-open space, but that little bit of extra secrecy can be very useful as a hunter, and as someone who might need to sneak through various areas.
 
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[X] Since all of the searching is going to be about lamias only indirectly, and a lot more about curses, Lotte could *try* to find information and books about Lamia. How likely she'd be to succeed and then get much useful out of it is… unknown, but perhaps it's worth trying?
[X] Ask more about the monastery above. What would the people up above do if they learned there was a lamia beneath there. Did the Nachtmater ever visit? What could be done to divert them if they did?
 
Oh god I cannot not do that I am sorry


[X] Since all of the searching is going to be about lamias only indirectly, and a lot more about curses, Lotte could *try* to find information and books about Lamia. How likely she'd be to succeed and then get much useful out of it is… unknown, but perhaps it's worth trying?
[X] Frederick was handsome, if a little strange. Would it be perhaps a little foolish to hang around and get to know someone better, just because you feel an entirely superficial and likely fleeting attraction to them? Yes. Is Lotte in fact eighteen years old? Also yes.
 
HUSBANDOOOOO

er I mean yes what a wonderful place of learning and scholarship

Though I'm kind of, hm. I guess Lotte never having expressed interest in male characters introduced before plus the bit with the rat-girl had made me think she was into females, but now I guess she's into both/all genders, assuming more genders exist in this setting? It's interesting.

Also the mental image of a lamia leaping from rooftop to rooftop was excellent.

[X] Since all of the searching is going to be about lamias only indirectly, and a lot more about curses, Lotte could *try* to find information and books about Lamia. How likely she'd be to succeed and then get much useful out of it is… unknown, but perhaps it's worth trying?
[X] Frederick was handsome, if a little strange. Would it be perhaps a little foolish to hang around and get to know someone better, just because you feel an entirely superficial and likely fleeting attraction to them? Yes. Is Lotte in fact eighteen years old? Also yes.
 
HUSBANDOOOOO

er I mean yes what a wonderful place of learning and scholarship

Though I'm kind of, hm. I guess Lotte never having expressed interest in male characters introduced before plus the bit with the rat-girl had made me think she was into females, but now I guess she's into both/all genders, assuming more genders exist in this setting? It's interesting.

Also the mental image of a lamia leaping from rooftop to rooftop was excellent.

[X] Since all of the searching is going to be about lamias only indirectly, and a lot more about curses, Lotte could *try* to find information and books about Lamia. How likely she'd be to succeed and then get much useful out of it is… unknown, but perhaps it's worth trying?
[X] Frederick was handsome, if a little strange. Would it be perhaps a little foolish to hang around and get to know someone better, just because you feel an entirely superficial and likely fleeting attraction to them? Yes. Is Lotte in fact eighteen years old? Also yes.

Well, actually, do you remember the prologue? Lotte specifically had a male love interest that he had a, well, broken-up relationship with. It's just that between choosing the adventure with the rat-girl, the serious-business adventure with the Saint, and then Naja, there hasn't exactly been that much time to expound on it except in passing.

E: Actually, in the novel version I'm working on, Arndt actually gets some speaking parts, to make him less 'mentioned' and more present.
 
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[X] Since all of the searching is going to be about lamias only indirectly, and a lot more about curses, Lotte could *try* to find information and books about Lamia. How likely she'd be to succeed and then get much useful out of it is… unknown, but perhaps it's worth trying?
[X] Frederick was handsome, if a little strange. Would it be perhaps a little foolish to hang around and get to know someone better, just because you feel an entirely superficial and likely fleeting attraction to them? Yes. Is Lotte in fact eighteen years old? Also yes.
 
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[X] Since all of the searching is going to be about lamias only indirectly, and a lot more about curses, Lotte could *try* to find information and books about Lamia. How likely she'd be to succeed and then get much useful out of it is… unknown, but perhaps it's worth trying?
[X] Frederick was handsome, if a little strange. Would it be perhaps a little foolish to hang around and get to know someone better, just because you feel an entirely superficial and likely fleeting attraction to them? Yes. Is Lotte in fact eighteen years old? Also yes.
 
We currently have a tie for second place, and I know there are at least a few people who haven't voted yet! Feel free to chime in or even just comment on the update in general.
 
[X] Since all of the searching is going to be about lamias only indirectly, and a lot more about curses, Lotte could *try* to find information and books about Lamia. How likely she'd be to succeed and then get much useful out of it is… unknown, but perhaps it's worth trying?
[X] Exploring the area in general could be done even if you didn't expect to find works. Look at everywhere there is, figure out what this place is even about.
 
I did like the clarification on lamia in cities, and I really like the trio that is developing. (Kinda really hoping Lotte hooks up with one or both, now that he thinking things)

The info on the other lamia was very reassuring in terms of hope for Lotte in the medium term.
 
We still have a tie. I know there are a few people who could still vote and clear this up?
Adhoc vote count started by The Laurent on Jan 13, 2020 at 7:52 AM, finished with 21 posts and 10 votes.

  • [X] Since all of the searching is going to be about lamias only indirectly, and a lot more about curses, Lotte could *try* to find information and books about Lamia. How likely she'd be to succeed and then get much useful out of it is… unknown, but perhaps it's worth trying?
    [X] Ask more about the monastery above. What would the people up above do if they learned there was a lamia beneath there. Did the Nachtmater ever visit? What could be done to divert them if they did?
    [X] Frederick was handsome, if a little strange. Would it be perhaps a little foolish to hang around and get to know someone better, just because you feel an entirely superficial and likely fleeting attraction to them? Yes. Is Lotte in fact eighteen years old? Also yes.
    [X] There was apparently one researcher already here. That meant a new person to meet and greet, and while this could end really, really badly considering that Lotte was now a lamia, perhaps they'd be a friend. And if not, one could still learn things.
    [X] Exploring the area in general could be done even if you didn't expect to find works. Look at everywhere there is, figure out what this place is even about.
 
Alright, since I want to see this next update, I've changed my vote to break the tie. Hit me with that exposition!
 
Alright, since I want to see this next update, I've changed my vote to break the tie. Hit me with that exposition!

Though I might combine them all together! I mean, I have an idea for how talking to Frederick could help with exposition and flirting. If that's fine? He is the Keeper of the library, after all, and so if you're looking for something, why not ask the handsome librarian?
 
I honestly like Karle more than either of those two.
At least because party needs a scholar with the amount of Weird Shit world has.

tbf, those two are not adventurers (yet?), so it's not like it's a proper party
But really, Lotte's a ranger, so party needs, uh, some fighty person, some priestly person, some wizardy person and some talky person? well, a stereotypical party at least

Lotte, with current perks, is a weird mix of scout and damage dealer.

Though I might combine them all together! I mean, I have an idea for how talking to Frederick could help with exposition and flirting. If that's fine? He is the Keeper of the library, after all, and so if you're looking for something, why not ask the handsome librarian?
Does exploring library together count as a date?
 
tbf, those two are not adventurers (yet?), so it's not like it's a proper party
But really, Lotte's a ranger, so party needs, uh, some fighty person, some priestly person, some wizardy person and some talky person? well, a stereotypical party at least

Lotte, with current perks, is a weird mix of scout and damage dealer.

Scout and Damage Dealer do neatly combine in a Hunter, yes. Although maybe if you specialize enough, you could be a different sorta Hunter? :V Find a bow larger than your torso, and seek out monsters!




But more seriously, I like speculation about what Lotte could track into. If anyone has neat enough ideas maybe I'll even try and work them into possible perks at level up, a few levels from now?
 
1:6
1:6

Lotte sometimes regretted her own ignorance and stupidity in the way of books and learning. Certainly, she regretted it whenever she ran face first into problems that only those who had actual learning could solve. But it was more than that. Lotte knew some people who disdained not only book learning, but even the ability to read and shakingly write their name. It was unnecessary frills on a life that had plenty to do, so those people said. Lotte, on the other hand, . respected those who were intelligent and thoughtful, such as Naja, Karle, and Frederick. But it didn't make it any less frustrating to be left behind.

It also didn't make the dust any less unsettling. Lotte coughed a lot in the first few hours of looking at shelf after shelf, with books packed tight and names only sometimes written on the spine. At other times there were instead labels. P24, Ch 38, and so on. It was baffling, and so Lotte just tried to remember things. She could tell that P24 was near P25, though not quite next to it. It was as if someone had put the books back in slightly different orders, but considering that Lotte's math and counting slowed down considerably above the tens places, she couldn't be entirely sure how they were supposed to be aligned. There was a P 312 at the end of one particularly huge shelf that seemed jammed into a wall. But it was next to a R 112, so how was she supposed to know?

She searched a little while longer, and felt no closer to understanding where everything was than at the start, two hours ago. She learned where a few things were. There were several sets of stairs, scattered around as if each had been an afterthought, and two privies, one near the top of the library and the other near the bottom. Both privies were well out of the way of the stacks of books, thought here were desks not that far away. It was the sort of place you had to learn by seeing, and even then she hadn't gone down into every dark corner to see whether she was missing anything. She had stopped to examine the desks, since they were a little strange by her vague understanding of what desks were. There wasn't enough room to really crowd the books that were supposed to be scattering it. A writing desk, perhaps? But didn't writing include writing or copying books? Lotte gave a mental shrug: what did she know?

So she walked around a little more until she found Frederick. He was smiling to himself as he sat at a chair, going over a book. Off to the side was a small table that had what looked like notes, and as she watched, he stood up, carefully walked over to the sheaf of paper, and began to take notes.

Lotte slithered closer, and he startled, then turned to see her. "Oh, Lotte! You're quieter than I thought."

"I am?" Lotte asked. She hadn't particularly been trying not to make any noise.

"I guess you're just light on your… erm." He coughed and admitted, "I'm sorry that I'm so awkward, I'm just surprised."

"It's okay, I'm awkward too," Lotte insisted.

"Well, so what brings you to me?" Frederick asked, with a toothy smile. "At the moment. Your friends are hard at work finding the cure to your curse."

"That's sort of what I was looking for," Lotte admitted. "Or, no." She bit her lip, and Frederick's grin turned into a concerned frown. "What if the curse cannot be undone? If so, I need to know more about what I've become. So I was thinking of finding books about lamia, well, true books about lamia, and learning more about their culture, and their physio…" Lotte frowned, as the word she'd vaguely remembered being used escaped her grasp. "Physical bodies."

"Ah, I could help with that. I admit that it can be confusing, sometimes. The system is simple once you understand it, but a lot of people don't." Frederick glanced at the book and said. "Actually, I could use this to show you." He set the book down and picked up the paper, turning it to show Lotte the writing on it. It was a little rough, loopier than she was used to. Fancy. But she could read lines for a title, for an author…

"See, how it works is, with each new book I write a new index entry. Title, author, what year the book was written and what year this particular copy was made, details about the author's background…"

"Why?" Lotte asked, frowning at that.

"Well, it matters whether she's a Duke's daughter, or he's a poor boy on scholarship at a university thanks to a Godly fellowship. So we list it, just short details about their parents or life situation, usually. Then, we list the category it goes in. Philosophy and Theology for instance, or History, or Medicine and Bodies, or Language and Philology. Then we list its number. For instance, the thousandth book on Language or Philology would be L1000."

"What's philology?" Lotte asked.

"The study of words and language," Frederick said, with a soft smile. "It is something of a passion of scholars to leave no word unturned. Finally, a brief description, perhaps only five or six sentences, of the content of the book. Then it is all put into an index so that anyone can look, index by index, and have an idea of what's here."

"That seems like it'd be easy to find things, then?" Lotte asked.

"Well, yes and now. How do you decide what goes where? Then there's the fact that since we have them all in order of entry, it means that actually finding them by looking on the shelves is a nightmare." Frederick shrugged. "Still, it's a good job, I think, and I should be able to help you."

"You know a lot about lamias?"

"Well… I know some, and I've always been interested in non-humans. Or those who temporarily appear nonhuman." He added the last hastily, as if terrified that Lotte would take offense.

"For practical purposes, I'm a lamia right now," Lotte said, biting her lip. "So."

"Well then, follow me! We can see what we can find."

******

Frederick was so smart, and very careful about gathering together books. He carefully pruned the list of those he felt were inappropriate or obviously inaccurate, talking the whole time about all the difficulties of a library. It was rather more work than Lotte ever would have been able to guess. It didn't really interest her all that much in general, but he had a deep, pleasing voice, and it was nice to have his help. He'd flip through a book before handing it to Lotte.

Even with his discernment, the pile of books grew, though he pointed out, "Much of the book won't be needed. Just read the parts that are important. I can make a space for you if you want." His face was remarkably red, and Lotte wondered if it was wishful thinking that she hoped it was about her and not about any awkwardness between them.

"Thank you," Lotte said. "Make space how? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"Y-you wouldn't. I would just push a chair aside, and then pile up some blankets and pillows for you to lie on while reading. You can stand, or stay completely upright and read, but you don't have to, as long as you don't eat or drink anything too near to the volumes and make sure not to tear the pages. But I'm sure you'll be careful." He chuckled to himself, and then added, "I know you will be."

"You don't really know much about me," Lotte admitted.

"You don't either, and yet you trust me to give you accurate knowledge to read through. For all you know, I could be holding back the best books in some bizarre scheme."

Lotte looked him over, leaning in a little towards him as he flushed and shook her head. "No, I don't think you are."

"Can you tell when someone's lying?" Frederick asked, breathless, leaning towards her just a little. His eyes were wide enough that Lotte knew it wasn't a joke at all.

"No, but I feel like I can trust you, and I trust my instincts. I do want to know you a little better, since you've been very kind in letting us in here. I've heard enough talk to know that beastfolk aren't welcome most places." Lotte frowned, thinking of Lisbeth, her heart thudding at the thought of her, and the kiss they'd shared. It hadn't seemed the kind of kiss that made a promise, that vowed eternal loyalty. Yet she didn't think her feelings for Lisbeth were diminished.

Despite that, she still wanted him to know at least a little more about her, and appreciate her.

"Alright. My name is Frederick of Amsburg, a town where my father was a pious butcher. His piety and my evident skill at learning led to me being sponsored for University when I was seventeen, and I did well there, and joined this society."

Lotte nodded, frowning. "So you get along with nobles?"

"I could ask the same of you. It's all about being seen as a person. And seeing them as people." Frederick shrugged. "You seem to have managed the trick, if even half the stories of your adventures are true."

"I haven't done all that much," Lotte said. It wasn't even modesty, just the truth. She'd had an encounter with a Rat Piper, an adventure involving the ghost of a martyr, then finally an ill-fated expedition into a ruin that had turned out to be a prison for a forgotten God.

"More than many people do in a decade," Frederick said. "Though if we're being honest, it isn't that much by the standards of the kinds of adventurers people tell stories about. But adventurers aren't everyone. They aren't most people. I went far and wide without being an adventurer at all."

"What did you do, abroad?" Lotte asked. "Though I think, if you're seeing the world like that, you're a sort of adventurer anyways. Where did you go?"

"I went as far as the isles, and I even visited Orime villages. I wanted to see all the types of Sepult, the elves, the Orime… all the kinds of people in the world who weren't just humans. Not that humans can't be varied, can't be different, but there's something about seeing someone who is so different to make you understand yourself better." Frederick spoke slowly, as if he were composing a letter, his head tilted up a little, to stare at a wall. He wasn't looking at her, not directly, and yet she felt his attention. His focus. "I even spent a few months in a beastfolk village, though I only met a lamia or two in that time. That was in my twenties, though. I've settled down a little more, I suppose."

"How old are you?"

"I was born thirty-four summers ago," Frederick said, with a frown, as if he'd rather not have to say that.

"Oh," Lotte said, face a little flushed. "I'd love to hear more stories about everything you had to have seen. You've met lamia, after all."

"We didn't talk much, though. I'm also curious: it's clear you can read, and that itself is impressive."

"It's just that I was given an opportunity," Lotte pointed out. "There are countless who don't get a chance who'd read better than I could. I stumble through pages like a child through a dark forest." She smiled and shook her head. "My mother had priestly magic, but I don't, particularly?" She could imitate some of the forms, and sometimes it could do 'things' but never quite what she wanted, and nothing like what a priest could do. Certainly she had no innate magic. "However, it also meant she was respected and useful in my village."

"Was your family rich?"

"By the standards of the village they were well off, but I've always heard the saying 'The tallest Sepult'... wait, is that rude?" Lotte frowned, not having ever thought to ask. "Mentioning their shortness?"

"It can be." Frederick rubbed at his chin, which looked like it had the start of a beard. "It all depends. Either way, you should not be so negative. Though I've also never heard you read. But being able to read at all is still impressive. It's not as if there aren't a thousand poor scholars like me who didn't get a chance. You see an opportunity, and you grab it. Or you try, at least. Sorry, I'm rambling."

"No, it's fine." Lotte slithered over a little closer to him. "I know what you're talking about. You just have to hope that Gods and whatever fate there is know what it's all for. Even if you don't."

What did the Forgotten God really want? Would it be terrible to do its bidding? But then, what would Lotte get from doing that? There were so many questions they overflowed, and so her mouth went with it as well, "I wish I could talk to the Nachtmater again."

"Talk to the… again?" Frederick said. "She said things to you?"

Lotte's heart was beating fast, in something between trust and distrust, between terror and hope. "She just apologized, though I'm still not entirely sure why."

"She apologized? Are you sure? Gods don't apologize, or so I'm told," Frederick said.

They were close enough to kiss now, and she had to keep her heart from pounding so hard it tore through her breast. She had to force herself not to lean in that little bit more, looking at the bright enthusiasm in his eyes. "She did, and I don't know why."

"Ah." Frederick bit his lip, and spent a very long moment staring at nothing. "Well, then, perhaps you want to go to a ritual devoted to her? The monastery is going to have a major ritual in two days, and perhaps She'll choose to show up, if you implore her presence. She does sometimes, for those blessed in her Sight, and if any place counts, it'd be here, right?"

Lotte nodded. "Could you possibly ask if I'm allowed to participate?"

"Of course I can. And I will," Frederick said. "You've gone through a lot, I can tell, and helping you is the least I can do."

"Thank you," Lotte said with a flush. "So, the… books."

"Well, first, what are you most interested in?" Frederick asked, with an eager look on his face.


What sorts of things does Lotte wind up reading about over the next few days? (Choose 2)

[] Biology and the physical bodies of Lamia.
[] Their beliefs regarding the Forgotten God.
[] Their culture, society, and customs.
[] Their magic, magical traditions, and rituals.
[] Beastfolk and general, and whether lamia and other beastfolk intermingle, and if so how.
[] The locations, if available, or where lamia might live… or might not, since any information would be old news.
[] Write-in.

*******

A/N: So, here's more scholar!
 
[X] Biology and the physical bodies of Lamia.
[X] Their beliefs regarding the Forgotten God.

The most immediately relevant to Lotte I'm her situation, I believe.
 
I wonder if Lotte's not-so-bright intelligence is a by product of her being a lamia. Maybe they develop slower than humans?

[X] Their culture, society, and customs.
[X] Beastfolk and general, and whether lamia and other beastfolk intermingle, and if so how.

To not piss off any lamia we meet and to hopefuly find some allies/friends.
 
Two is... too little. Still.
[X] Biology and the physical bodies of Lamia.
To justify the excuse we came up with.
[X] Their culture, society, and customs.
Because the Laurent will totally go full exposition on us, and I wanna read it.
 
I think we have to read up on where do they live, just in case we need to, you know, live there.

So I am picking culture and where do they live, so we can go and squar there if we have to - if humans go full asshole or something.


[X] Their culture, society, and customs.
[X] The locations, if available, or where lamia might live… or might not, since any information would be old news.
 
[X] Their culture, society, and customs.
[X] The locations, if available, or where lamia might live… or might not, since any information would be old news.
 
[X] Biology and the physical bodies of Lamia.
[X] Their beliefs regarding the Forgotten God.

Biology is pretty important, its not like Lotte is getting OUT of this form any time soon, if ever.
 
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