007 || video (forward-dated to april 26)

[couldbebeautiful]

So that kinda sucked.

[Understatement of the year from Veronica Sawyer, who's filming this from the kitchen of De Chima #3, in front of a half-eaten plate of spaghetti with lots of oregano and some meatballs. She twists her fork around on her plate, gathering up what bits of spaghetti are left.

It's worth mentioning this is posted at 1 AM, and she is in imPort face pajamas.]

Surprisingly enough, that's not actually the first time we've had clones before. Doubles. Doppel-somethings. [A sardonic little smile.] Welcome to bizarro America, new arrivals, one day you too will have to fight your own clone.

[She sighs, and lets her fork clatter to the plate.]

Anyway, I had a point to this video? And that's to say that seeing as this has happened twice now, it might happen again. Since every time this happens the original person usually gets stuck with the fallout, it could help if we could at least disown the damage our doubles caused, prove it wasn't us who did it. We still have to clean up, but we weren't the ones responsible.

[There's a quiet whir from below, and Veronica looks away from the camera for a moment, ducks down to pet something out of view. She pops back up, and props her chin on her hand.]

And—my double, the first time I had one, tried to make my friend an accomplice in a bank robbery. So in the interests of avoiding that, we need some way of proving to the people we care about, and possibly the authorities too, that we're us, not some knockoff.

That way, if this happens again—and I really hope it doesn't, I'd rather not have to tell the police it wasn't me again—we're ready. Or at least we're ready enough that the fallout isn't as bad as it could be.

[She picks up the fork, twists spaghetti around it again. Almost as an afterthought:] Oh, yeah, while I'm here, anyone else play croquet around here? Does anyone else want to? I'm pretty much the only one I know who regularly does, and I'm willing to teach what I know.

Comments

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[girlybruiser]

[ This response comes at about 8 AM; bright and early for Haru! No pajamas, no bedhead... the young eighteen year old seems to carry herself well and proper. ]

This is the first time I've ever experienced something like this here... so this is commonplace?

[ Haru finds it bewildering. A newbie clearly. ]

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[couldbebeautiful]

[In contrast to Haru, Veronica looks like she just got up and is regretting her choice to stay up last night, but she answers promptly enough. She's back in the kitchen again, having finished off her plate when Haru's response came in.]

Yep. [She's been here a while, judging from the casual manner she says it in.] Maybe not the clones, that only happened once before from what I remember, but weird shit happens all the time. You get used to it.

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[girlybruiser]

[ Is that why everyone was acting strangely? Does this explain Akira's actions? Haru's face lights up like a lantern and she looks away momentarily. ]

How did something like that happen in the first place?

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[couldbebeautiful]

A perfume company called Heaven Scent. Some of us sent in samples of our DNA so they could make personalized perfume, and we ended getting clones instead. [A shrug.] I never got the perfume I was promised, but I did get an evil clone for a couple of days.

I don't know if they're the same culprits for this one, though. It seems unoriginal, just recycling their gimmick from last year.

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[girlybruiser]

[ She frowns, slowly absorbing this new information. ]

What happened to the clones from then?

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[couldbebeautiful]

They died. [Short and to the point.] They had a limited time to do their thing, from what I know.

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[girlybruiser]

Oh...

[ Unsure what to say to that, Haru can only continue frowning, her lips pursed. ]

That's just morbid. For someone to do that is unforgivable.

shortly after her post

[justaskalice]

Actual people outside of Lewis Carroll novels play croquet?

[couldbebeautiful]

You got me, I'm from a shitty Lewis Carroll rip-off. [She's very dry about it, but there's no real bite to her sardonic comment. It helps that it's pretty damn early.] Yeah, actual people play croquet. Where I'm from, though, it wasn't the most popular sport. It was just—me and three other girls playing it.

[justaskalice]

I figured.

So, how do you play? I mean, if you're going to start a club or league, we're going to need to know the rules. And where we can get all those flamingos.

[couldbebeautiful]

I'm not looking to start a club, I just want to play against other people. But—well, the flamingos are optional, first of all. The mallet, hoops and the balls aren't.

And you play by hitting balls through hoops.

[justaskalice]

So kind of miniature golf.

[couldbebeautiful]

Yep. Except unlike miniature golf, you have to go through the hoops in a sequence.

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[namesaquestion]

[Someone looks... Not that cocky, for once in his life, even if his voice says otherwise.]

I'd win against my clone if I had to fight it.

[No, you'd probably be whining how it's being nice.]

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[couldbebeautiful]

[Shit, is he okay?]

You okay? [And in response to the actual content of his video:] Honestly, you probably could, although I don't really recommend it. [she says, having fought her clone.] The best thing you can do is to stay away, and warn the people you care about there's a clone of you hanging around.

[She pauses. Frowns.]

You...do have people you care about here, right? [Because she does care about him, and if he doesn't have someone he gives half a shit about, then it's a sorry existence. Especially for a kid like him.]

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[namesaquestion]

I'm fine.

[It's fast and dismissive, complete with a snort. He's fine, he's fine. Nothing to see here. The confirmation - he's taking it as such - that he'd win again his own clone is enough to bring something of a smirk to his face.

At least for a second, because the idea of his clone interacting with anyone he knows.... there's a brief scowl as he glances away. He's gone weak if that question is bothering him, and there's a glare in his eyes when he looks back.] What, care about a bunch of weaklings that get in the way? Not likely.

[Liar liar. But, baby steps...] But I guess I'd give them the heads up so they don't think its me.

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[couldbebeautiful]

Weird, you don't look fine. [And she would know, she's done something like this before.

She sees the way he looks away, which—means a lot, she thinks. At least it means something, although it is one in the morning, so she might just be reading more into this than she should be. She tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear.]

Sure, you don't. [There is so much sarcasm crammed into that one word that it's a surprise she doesn't somehow explode from it. She's pretty short, where does she find room for all that sarcasm?] Kinda makes me wonder how someone can survive, not caring about anyone.

A heads-up and a code word, just in case. You're going to need some way to prove you're you, if this happens again.

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[namesaquestion]

[The glare sharpens at the first comment, but he doesn't protest it. Not now, anyway.

There's better things to argue.] Aww. Boo hoo. How do you live, knowing others make you weak?

[He's not even touching the 'prove it's him' part, because as far as he cares? here's only one way to prove it's him, and he's not touching that in public with a ten-foot pole.]

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[couldbebeautiful]

Surprisingly fine, I've got people I can talk to when I need some help. [And he does have a point. Months ago she might've even agreed with him, fresh off of losing people she loved to the Porter, but right now she's assembled at least a modicum of stability for herself.] Plus, it's great having someone you know will do your chores if you bat your eyelashes the right way.

[She's kidding, she does most of the cooking.]

How do you live, without someone making sure you don't end up crashing and burning?

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[contradict]

I could use a game of croquet. [ has elektra ever played croquet before that didn't involve someone's head as the ball? er, maybe not ... but she's smiling, and it's a nice one, so no one has to worry about that. ] That way I'd know who you were and who your poor knock off was when they choose to invite me to play.

[ hi please befriend her. ]

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[couldbebeautiful]

My knockoffs tend to wear red. I don't. That's how you can tell.

[Knockoffs, plural. This is not her first clone rodeo, but she does smile back, propping her head up on the heel of her hand as she leans forward, interested.]

You want to play right now? Because it's like, one in the morning, and I'd probably fall asleep halfway to the Porter if I went out right now. [Which begs the question of why she isn't currently asleep.] I mean, I could play later. Or any time, really. It's been way too long since I played against someone else.

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[contradict]

[ elektra laughs. ] I need my beauty sleep. But my schedule is wide open for croquet tomorrow, or even the next day. [ her eyes narrow in thought. ] I don't think I've ever played before. The closest I've ever gotten is golf.

[ don't insult croquet like this, elektra natchios. besides, golf had been an activity she'd done with her adoptive father. at the end of the day, it hadn't been so bad, and she doubts it'd be as much to revisit the same idea with someone new. ]

We can save the one in the morning game of croquet for much later. [ teasing! but she'd do it. ]

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[couldbebeautiful]

Noted. I'll keep the one in the morning game in mind for way later. [Probably for when she turns 19, legally. Or—god, birthdays are weird here now, aren't they.] Croquet's a little bit like golf? Except not quite. There aren't any holes for starters, you've gotta go through some hoops in the right order before hitting the center peg.

[She makes it sound so easy, and yet.]

I wouldn't know, anyway. I've never actually played golf, so—we could teach other? [She turns it into a question, an invitation: teach me and I'll teach you.]

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[contradict]

As long as you're not expecting to be taught properly. [ she smiles. cheating is key here … and driving the golf caddy. elektra might be a woman born of wealth and little finger raising while drinking tea, but she sure loves to drive that little car around the golf course. mischief is often the name of the game. ] I think we can make that happen.

[ yay, a friendly date with clubs! ]

I'm Elektra.

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[couldbebeautiful]

Good to know, I'll lower my expectations. [How low can they go? Pretty damn low, actually, the past year and change, in her world and in this one, have done a number on them.] So—croquet tomorrow, and maybe golf the day after that, if that's fine with you? If not, I'm flexible.

[A friendly date with clubs and mallets! And the maximum amount of cheating and golf caddy-driving, hopefully, because Veronica's always wanted to ride in one of those. She feels good about this already.]

I'm Veronica. Sawyer. It's nice to meet you, Elektra.