Not Your Typical First Day (OPEN!)

[Teagan Rae Brooks]

First days were rough. It was already lunch time and Teagan hadn't managed to really find anybody to talk to and now she was at risk of sitting at a table alone...or with her dupes. Somehow that didn't feel any less lonely.

She was still feeling a bit weird about everything, especially since her parents were not very receptive to her being a meta-human. They found it to be cheating at life in some way. But it wasn't as if she used her dupes to do her chores and homework. Okay, so once she'd been really behind on her studies and might have had one of her dupes proofread an essay she wrote, but it wasn't anything worse than that. Teagan believed in hard work and didn't use her ability to take the easy way out. Yet her parents were still uneasy.

She sighed, carrying her tray of food out into the cafeteria. Most tables were filled. At that, a dupe appeared next to her.

Teagan was still trying to get used to the ones she had created--four of them--that each took on one aspect of her personality. This was the ambitious dupe that just wanted to get shit done. "We're finding you a place to sit," the dupe said diligently before taking Teagan's tray and marching across the cafeteria and finding a table that only had a few people at it. She slammed the tray down on the table and looked at Teagan for approval who followed and awkwardly grabbed her tray, looking over to the person sitting right where the tray had been dropped.

"Uh, sorry..." she muttered, rolling her eyes at the dupe who was smiling brightly at the person.

[Astley Pyatt]

Astley looked up in surprise as a tray landed in front of her. She wasn't very hungry, just snacking on some tortilla chips in her messenger bag, and had been more focused on the book in her hands, beneath the edge of the table. She'd been looking through photos of various beaches and oceanside cliffs and things - they were really pretty, a nice thing to sort of zone out to - but the sudden interruption caused her to look up and blink a few times in surprise.

Well, that was - "Are you... twins?" She asked, tentatively, distracted by how exactly identical the two girls were (except for their facial expressions). It was so hard to tell at Hammel. There were twins that truly were identical, then fraternal twins that looked identical, then there were identical and non-identical Gestalt pairs... it got confusing.

As she realized how she'd decided to start the conversation, she attempted to correct herself. "I'm sorry - did you want me to leave?" Wait, no, she was supposed to stand up for herself, "I mean - I'm not going to leave." Oh god, what was she even saying? She felt the blush coloring her cheeks - though she had enough control at this point to prevent herself from giving off any heat - as she fumbled some more. "I mean - um - you can - er - would you - uh..." Shitshitshitshitshit. Words, Astley, words! She was working on this. "....You can sit, if you want." There. That was... decent.

[Teagan Rae Brooks]

Teagan rolled her eyes at her duplicate and re-claimed her tray with a sheepish smile towards the girl at the table. "Not exactly..." she told her, looking at her duplicate out of the corner of her eye to see if she'd create any more without knowing. "Duplication is a bitch sometimes," she stated nonchalantly with a shrug before sitting down a bit awkwardly at the table with her lunch tray and pushing her unruly blonde curls to the side.

She looked at the girl strangely, cocking an eyebrow. "Why would you have to leave? You were sitting here first. But thanks..." she smiled just as her duplicate plopped down next to her. "I'm sorry...once again." She sent a glare at her duplicate.

[Astley Pyatt]

She shrugged off the girl's apology. That was her bit, really. "Ohhh, duplication." Astley was intrigued. She'd seen a few duplicator people around, but she'd never really met one face to face. She still felt like an idiot, but no more than usual, as she turned inquisitive eyes to the one that hadn't spoken. It was pretty stunning, how solid and truly identical she was. It was also confusing.

"How does - sorry, never mind, don't mean to pry." She bit her tongue, but glanced curiously back to the double. It only took her a few silent seconds to try again, "How does that work?" She asked, squinting at the double, trying to find some sort of sign that it was false.

[Teagan Rae Brooks]

"Yeah, don't feel bad. A lot of people think it's that we're twins or something at first, but questions start being asked when more of me pop up," Teagan explained, picking up her slice of pizza on her lunch tray and biting into it. She caught the girl looking at her and she knew that she had to be wondering about her power? She was scrutinizing the duplicate, as if trying to find a flaw.

She swallowed her bite of pizza. "Eh, it's not prying. Especially not when my power is so public." She shrugged before launching into an explanation. "Well, each duplicate...I call them dupes....they're a part of me. They have my DNA and our minds are linked. Usually they take on a part of my personality...like one aspect." It was kind of weird knowing the different things that made her up, especially since one of her duplicates was a shameless, annoying flirt. "This one right here, she's the ambitious, pushy side of me. I just call her Am. It's easier that way."

"Someone has to do the work when you're sleeping the day away in your dorm when you should be attending to homework," the duplicate defended itself.

"See what I mean?" Teagan asked with a sigh.

[Astley Pyatt]

Astley smiled, "Heh... dupes," she repeated with giggle, unable to help herself. But the concept really was fascinating, and she found herself nodding along to the girl's explanation. How interesting, to have part of you separate from yourself...

"Someone has to do the work when you're sleeping the day away in your dorm when you should be attending to homework."

Astley hadn't realized that the duplicates could talk, so she was taken aback for a second, her mouth forming into a surprised 'O' shape. But then she recognized what Am had said. And the girl's response. And she started laughing.

"I'm sorry," she hurriedly apologized over her giggles, "I just - that's kind of funny." She blushed, wondering what her ambitious side would say to her if it could truly talk. Then again, her old self often did poke at her. Like now. The part telling her to just go for it, and bring back more of her old bold self.

"So, her name is Am - I'm Astley - who does that make you?" She asked in a friendly manner, gesturing to the girl. She wasn't usually as out there as she was being now, but she'd decided to take a risk, like Am had done for this girl, and just do it.

[Teagan Rae Brooks]

"Dupes is just a shorter way of saying it that takes less energy. What can I say, I'm utterly lazy," Teagan told her with a smile as she laughed at the term. "Oh yeah, by the way, they can talk." She saw her reaction and laughed at her. "I guess I should have mentioned that."

And now she was apologizing? "Nah, dude, it's cool. It's kind of an entertaining power, even if it is frustrating. Having so many of me around can get annoying if you can believe it." It was mostly a joke, but it did get annoying! It was an odd concept, being annoyed by aspects of herself.

"I'm Teagan. Bitchin' name," she told the girl with a nod. It was different and she liked that. Needless to say, Teagan was a big fan of the eccentric and unique. Astley seemed fairly shy but she liked how curious she was.

[Astley Pyatt]

"Having so many of me around can get annoying if you can believe it."

Astley nodded, her smile opening up a bit. "I can definitely believe it," she agreed, "I get sick of myself sometimes, and I'm only one person." There was a joking quality to her statement, but it was reserved, still breaking out of it's shell. She liked this girl - these girls? she wasn't sure how to qualify the duplicate - but she was still wary.

"I'm Teagan. Bitchin' name."

She shrugged, "Thank my parents, I suppose." But the thought had been nice, so she smiled. "Are you new, Teagan? I haven't seen you around before." Astley may not know people's names, but she liked to observe people, so she tended to recognize faces. She kinda felt creepy about it, sometimes, but since she was subtle about it people didn't really know. It was better that way, cause she really didn't want to be known as the creeper who stares at people. Instead she just wasn't widely known.

[Teagan Rae Brooks]

"Glad you can relate. Plus, it's like...they're all a different part of me and I look at them and I'm like 'Do I really act like that?' but then I remember that their personality traits are exaggerated," Teagan rambled. "Because I'm definitely not that Ambitious." She pointed to Amb who sent her a bit of a glare and said that she could be if she put forth effort.

Teagan only rolled her eyes. She was very hard working, just not in her dupe's eyes. "Yeah, I'm new. Really new. And I'm afraid my duplicates are better at making friends than I am." She shrugged.

[Astley Pyatt]

"But your dupes are you - so, actually, you're just better at making friends than you think!" Astley pointed out optimistically. It was pretty entertaining to watch the girl interact with herself, and she found it very interesting. She was often very curious - especially when it came to meta powers.

She examined Am, no longer attempting to be discreet, looking to see if there was some sort of telling visual that showed she was a duplicate. It probably wasn't appropriate to be staring at her, or asking all the questions that Astley wanted to ask. But she still wanted to know. "Do they just... appear? Or do you have to... pull them out, or form them or something?" Her fingers twitched, but she had the common sense to know that you don't just start prodding at someone. As a bit of an afterthought, she added, "Sorry, I'm just... fascinated." She didn't sound especially sorry, though, and if she had realized that she would've been embarrassed about it. But she didn't, cause she was too busy contemplating duplication.

[Teagan Rae Brooks]

Teagan wasn't used to that kind of point of view and she tilted her head at the girl as she considered her point. "I like you," she finally said, smiling in her direction. It was a rather positive view and while yes, her dupes were her, it felt like sometimes they were all separate people. Teagan had to keep reminding herself of that fact.

She watched as Astley examined Am and shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. I guess my power is supposed to take a lot of energy and stuff, but I haven't started training yet to really know a lot about it. I'm pretty sure I do something that triggers them to be created, but I'm not really sure what." Being so new, she really had a long way to go in learning about her power. Astley was making her consider things she hadn't thought of.

"I like her urge to learn," Am commented and Teagan shook her head.

"You know, I like to learn too, Am. It seems you've forgotten that."

[Astley Pyatt]

Astley smiled widely at Teagan's declaration - it made her quite glad when people liked her - but that smile turned into a look of wide-eyed interest as the girl explained her uncertainty about the process, and Astley nodded along. She, too, had a lot to explore about her power. She'd discovered many facets to it, but there was always more she was learning.

"I like her urge to learn."

That brought another smile to Astley's face, directed at the duplicate, along with a pretty blush of modesty when her staring was recognized by it's subject. Teagan's reply, though, received a giggle. Cause it was funny, to hear them exchanging barbs - or, to hear her exchanging barbs with herself, since that was really what was happening. "I don't mean to be nosy, honestly, I'm just curious," she apologized, more aware of herself, but not allowing herself to go back into her shell. She liked this girl, too. She hoped they could be friends.

[Teagan Rae Brooks]

"Man, quit apologizing!" Teagan told her, but grinned nonetheless. "If my dupe isn't freaked out by you examining her, either am I. Honestly, I watch people all the time...especially the really weird ones here at Hammel, trying to figure them out. It's a good way to pass time when you're new." Astley had an endearing quality to her. Teagan could appreciate her want to learn about all things. It was nice having somebody take an interest in her power and want to know more about it, rather than dismissing it when she told them she wasn't a twin.

[Astley Pyatt]

"I can't help-" Oh wait. Astley snapped her mouth shut. That was apologizing, wasn't it? Her lips pursed and twisted as she held back a giggle. Finally, she managed, "This is me not apologizing." It was said while she failed at holding back her smile, eyes glittering with mirth. She liked Teagan. And the girl had a point, too. "I did that a lot when I was new - well, 'a lot' being slightly more than I do now." She would've been sheepish about it, except she wasn't ashamed of that fact, not in front of Teagan's honesty. "-People-watching, not apologizing," she clarified. "Though I guess I did that too."