18840/Multiplication Tables

Multiplication Tables
Date of Scene:	15 August 2024
Location:	Central Park
Synopsis:	Sally and Doll meet over a job Sally wants to do. Their similarities and differences are discussed.
Cast of Characters:	Sally Houki, Doll

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Sally Houki has posed:
Where better to meet than Central Park? It's the very epitome of a neutral location. A public, wide open space that offers a high level of security through witnesses and traffic, but also the opportunity for more quiet and private conversations to go unheard.

The message Doll received to set up the meeting, one indicating an 'interested in your unique kind of services', said she'd be waiting on a checkered picnic blanket with a basket and that there'd be no mistaking her for anyone else. At the appointed locale, sitting under a tree on that checkered blanket, is a young woman and it really is unlikely that one wouldn't mistake her ofr anyone else if you're looking for that. It's the giant red bow in her bunned up hair and its colorful tassles and the rather eccentric and colorfully cute clothes she's wearing. Very fashionable, this girl. There she waits, swiping through things on her phone all casual except for the occasional scanning around. The birds are chirping, the summer sun is lovely, and there's people everywhere. Just another beautiful day in sunny New York. wdq

Doll has posed:
For her part? Well, Doll herself was recognizable unless she was specifically trying not to be. Her attire was bright, her hair was down and there was a skip to her walk as she made her way closer. Or at least, this version of her did. Elsewhere, dressed in a miniskirt, striped knee-socks and a deep purple hoodie-jacket...currently chewing bubble-gum and lazily peering down the sights of a sniper rifle from nearly a kilometer away.

After all, one never knew when there might be a sting.

Doll 1 however was currently making her way closer with a little lift of her hand in a smile.

Sally Houki has posed:
Caution is always for the best, of course.

The wave captures Sally's attention, of course, and her eyes lock in on her, taking in her garb, her mien. A big old smile crosses his face.

"Oh my gosh," she squeals, "I love your outfit!" It's the colors, really, as someone who clearly likes colorful and bright outfits themself.

"Come on, sit down. I brought samdwiches. I hope ..." She pauses a moment and looks down, then opens the picnic backet, "...pastrami is okay? I have no idea what you like." She clearly had no idea what kind of sandwich was in there, no, or simply forgot. She breaks out the one of them and unwraps it, holding it in her lap while waiting for Doll to take a seat.

"It's just so cool to finally meet you," she enthuses, her light accent carrying through.

Doll has posed:
Doll herself moves forwards, a bright smile on her own glossed lips. "Hi!" she offers brightly, a lift of her hands and a tilt of her head to oneside. "So you're Sally right? You definately match your description. I love the bow!"

Across the space, Sniper-Doll casually adjusts her scope and then folds her arms to lounge. After all, she didn't need to 'watch' when she could see everything the Doll currently taking a sandwich could.

"So...what did you need me for?"

Sally Houki has posed:
Sally Houki holds out one of the sandwiches to her and offers her a soda. She takes a bite of her own, chews, pauses, swallows.

"Hm. I should have told them to go lighter on the pastrami," she muses, eyes looking down to the rest of the sandwich before coming back up to smile beautifically.

"Security," she pipes in, "I have a client coming up who I don't entirely trust and I'd rather not get killed or something." Her fingeres twist into one of the long ribbons stemming from her bow as she sets the sandwich down in her lap.

"I was very curious when I heard what you could do. That's *so* cool."

Doll has posed:
A soda happily taken, Doll nods her head and comes to tilt her head to the other side before grinning. "Oh...so.."

"You're worried about someone sneaking up on you?"

The question was asked, but it wasn't asked by the Doll in front of her, instead another leaned past as if she'd simply 'appeared' behind the other girl. Some people were shy about their powers.

Doll was not one of them!

Sally Houki has posed:
Sally Houki blinks her eyes. Once.

Then she gets the biggest, *biggest* smile on her face.

"That is *so cool*! Yes! And no! I mean also yes! But not that. Right now. It's more, you know, some associates can be a 'bunch of bitchy little girls'. Where did I hear that before?" She pauses, tilts her head, trying to call on some memory that's just evading her grasp. A shrug follows and she has a drink of her soda.

"I have an exchange to make to someone and I'd love to see you in action. Oh my goodness, I've never met another one before!" She claps her hands together excitedly, forgetting she's holding a soda she just opened and sprays some up into her face. "Augh!"

She clears herself off and then sets the soda down. She squeals several other excited things in Japanese before calming herself down and returning to English.

"I *never* get to make cool reveals like that except at a moment like this. Look over there," She points at the ice cream vendor, none too far away. "I wanted ice cream, and also to show off!"

And a look over there will show ... she's also standing in line, over there. Dressed a bit different, sure, more gothic-lolita-frills and lace.

She waves over at her and she waves back.

Doll has posed:
"I see..." Doll offers, a little grin at those words before folding her arms under her bust, the second Doll lazily reaching out to collect and sip the soda from the first before the pair of them look over towards the reveal of...well, one of her kind of tricks, albeit a little less 'pop-up surprise' than hers.

"Oh! It's rare we get to see another person who can duplicate like us...or is it something lame like an actual twin?"

Because only Doll would find an actual identical twin less interesting!

Sally Houki has posed:
"Nope, definitely a duplication thingy, though I imagine we don't do it the same way, unless we do -- but I don't get that sense from you. The probabilities don't fold in on themselves around you the right way," She adds, eyes crossing as she studies her like she's put her out of focus somehow. It's brief. Then she's back to smiling.

"It's so cool to actually meet you. I'm Sally," she offers, holding her hand out for a shake.

The Other Sally is on her way over, now, and indeed sits down on the ground. It looks for all the world like two pairs of twins hanging out.

"Hello, Other Me," she tells her duplicate, who hands her ice cream.

"I got you ice cream," Other Sally says, offering her ice cream from the holder with four cones in it that she brought over. "Your favorite! Chocolate!"

"But I wanted raspberry," muses Sally, considering, with a shrug before she takes the cone and has a lick. Other Sally holds out the ice cream towards the two Dolls, eyebrows up.

Doll has posed:
Two Dolls, one icecream...the 'surprise' Doll claims the prize while the other does indeed claim the handshake. "Oh, I just 'do'..."

A nod from the other Doll happily lapping at the treat, the first makes to take herself a seat and stretch out with a little noise of amusement. "We do that too, when I can't decide what I want...so we just have both choices."

Sally Houki has posed:
Sally is practically vibrating with joy at the moment. Hand shook, she withdraws to have a lick of her own chocolate ice cream while Other Sally sprawls back, hands behind her head, listening to the conversation between the Sally talking to Doll and Other Doll.

"'Sometimes it do be like that," she muses. "I mean, we have options other people don't when executive dysfunction kicks in! Do all the things, all at the same time." She has a drink of her soda and then sits up straigter, wiggling her bottom into the blanket a bit as she gets comfortable.

"You're right, though, our trick is pretty rare."

Doll has posed:
"Well that's the secret..." Doll offers, a giggle to her lips as she stretches out, the icecream-snacking Doll lazily laying back and giving a little playful kick of her legs. "Do the things, all the things, if there's enough 'us' for enough things!" A crossing of the first Doll's arms, she nods lightly.

"I know of maybe one, two others...but they all work a little different. At least compared to me."

Sally Houki has posed:
"Or enough things for all of us," agrees Sally, "I feel like that should be a toast. Maybe at the New Year." She wiggles her fingers together and then tilts her head.

"I'm aware of one other, but I've never personally met them. We should definitely have a game of compare and contrast. It might teach us some things!" She bounces excitedly. ".. though probably not in central park. Or when there's ice cream to eat." She has a bite of the chocolate, getting some on her nose somehow.

"Ahhh I'm so excited! Eeee!"

Doll has posed:
A little tilt of her head, Doll comes to laugh at the comment about not being in Central park. A little snerk of her lips, she turns to look at Sally and then giggles. Another giggle echoed by a Doll who was now sitting behind the second Sally and a fourth Doll now stretching out on her stomach behind the others.

"Pffft! Why be shy? I mean...people get spooked by mutants but...they should just deal with it."

Sally Houki has posed:
Glancing behind her, Sally bursts out into a joyous squeal. The Other Sally sits up and stretches her hands out over her head lazily, taking the time to study each of the Dolls in turn. She seems a bit more reserved than Sally One.

"Oh! Do you mean that you're a mutant? Cool!" She's definitely taking it all in and couldn't be happier about it.

"I wouldn't call myself shy beyond a certain level of self-effacement I suppose. Experience has taught to me to be a little cautious about attracting too much attention! You never know who's watching." She bows her head a moment with a smile. "Someone usually is."

Doll has posed:
Each Doll? Identical, down to the last thread of their outfit. Was that always the case, or was it a deliberate choice by the young woman. With a shrug from Doll 1, Doll 4 lifts her hands in an exaggeration of the gesture while two continues with her icecream. The third Doll? She shakes her head and makes to stretch.

"Well, each their own."

Always someone watching?

The Doll behind the scope on the rooftop far away quirked her lips in a smile.

Sally Houki has posed:
"How many of you can you make, anyway?" asks Sally, curiously. "Theoretically, I can make a lot, but things get weird when I try." She throws her arms wide and nearly punches the otther Sally in the face in the process. "Whoops! Sorry," she tells herself.

"Eh, it happens," replies the other Sally, who reaches up and taps the first Sally on the head. She vanishes.

The Sally that's been quiet the whole time now scoots into the middle of the blanket, leaving a phantom image that quickly solidifies into anotther her which promptly reaches for the soda to have a drink, adding, "I can also swap between my copies. Cool, right?"

Doll has posed:
"A lady never tells?" Doll 1 offers, only for Doll 2 to smoothly duck down to avoid the sweeping arm and crunch a bite of her icecream before it was finally finished. Doll 3 comes to roll backwards, a tumble onto her feet only for her to 'disappear' as if she was never there.

A little smile, the Doll on her stomach rolls onto her side as she watches the multiplication. "Interesting...but it sounds like you're not as connected up as we are?"

Sally Houki has posed:
"I mean, fair enough," agrees Sally, "We're still feeling each other up." A beat.

"I mean out. Feel each other out," she adds. She observes the disappearing Doll, though, and then offers her qanswer.

"I mean, I don't knowo. How connected *are* you? I don't have anything to measure against." She leans forward towards her, both of her do, inspecting her critically. "I wonder what would happen if I duplicated you? Possibly tear a hole in the fabric of reality? Probably a good idea not to find out!"

Doll has posed:
A laugh, Doll gives a little giggle and leans forwards, enough to offer the question a little playful smile. "I mean...enough to know if one of -us- was being felt 'up' we could all feel it if we wanted. We can block it out, or share it all. 'All are we' and 'we is me'."

She grins, one finger lifting to touch to her lip in a gesture bordering the line between flirtatious and playful.

"I've never broken reality before...but lets not, just in case."

Sally Houki has posed:
"Oh, wow. That must be kind of overwhelming?" she offers, head tilting to the side. "I mean, so much feedback, right? Or is it just natural to you because you're the way you are? You're definitely a bit more integrated than I am -- but my duplicates aren't really made the same way." She leans back from her as she leans forward. Not trying to scooch away, really, more like an instinctive reactiton to it. For just a brief moment, when she says 'broken reality' in an echo of her earlier statement, there's a very brief flash of what could be chartiably called a 'haunted' in her eyes. Something stirred an unpleasentness, and she chases it away quickly with a cheery smile.

Doll has posed:
A surge of motion, Doll's 2 and 4 are vanished...or is it moved? There's another, two more sitting next to the first Doll and giving her a hand up to a stand before learning against her, an embrace from either side like they were cuddled up.

"Not at all,"

"We can share!"

"Or we can filter!"

"But we are very much intergrated like this..." Doll one finishes as the others speak. Perhaps she'd ignored the other moment crossing Sally's face...or didn't see it. Either way, the Doll on the right reaches casually into the pocket of the Doll in the middle, drawing her phone out of her pocket before offering it out to Sally.

She probably had spares.

"You want me? Call the number in there. I'll do the job."

Sally Houki has posed:
"... that is SO COOL," squeals Sally. "I want you! I definitely want you!" She hops up, herself, reaching out to take that phone, "And you've got my email. We should hang out more, I definitely want to -- and yeah. The job. I got a lot of those and I could always use protection for them, especially some of them. Stuff is never without risk, anyway." She blinks her eyes at her again, looking for a moment like she wants to leap into the hug herself. She refrains.

Doll has posed:
Of course, there was more to Doll than she'd admit to, but then a girl(s) had to keep herself a few secrets. Grinning, the girls give a nod and lift a hand each to lightly blow a kiss. A gesture in perfect synch between the pair.

"Well then..."

"We'll see you around..."

"When we need to be found!"

The trio list off before they each lift their hands in a wave. "Bye Sally!"

And then they were gone, each vanishing as if they were never their while elsewhere, across town on the roof the skirt-dressed girl in pop-goth attire lazily swung her legs around and slipped off her perch, rifle in her backpack as she skipped merrily away into the city streets.