she said baby

[cawky]

WHO: Davesprite (and company) + Nill
WHERE: Outside...somewhere
WHEN: LAST MONTH because I suck
WARNINGS: This is gonna get confusing fast
SUMMARY: Davesprite is having trouble keeping his multiselves under control...still
FORMAT: Quicklog

[It had definitely been a long couple of days for Davesprite.

His aspect made him no stranger to the concept of multiple selves, though he found that the matter was entirely different when your selves...were nothing like you. Or when those same selves had an annoying habit of doing their own thing, because you mutually annoyed one another. The result is a scene that doesn't seem too out of the ordinary -- Davesprite cloud surfing in the streets to blow off some steam as night begins to fall...that is, unless someone took a moment to observe the sprite's flight pattern.

Davesprite doesn't fly straight, but almost lazily. He dips downward and then slowly angles himself back upward, making him look more serpentine than usually with how his tail follows him. He sways back and forth, far too airheaded for typical coolkid Strider. Is he sick? High?

Nill is about to find out, as it seems she's been spotted. Davesprite's glasses are purposefully slipped down his nose so he can get a better look before he proceeded to waft downwards on the nearest air current in order to land in her path smoothly.

Well, almost. It had looked to be a pretty smooth landing until it actually happened. Davesprite ends up on his stomach just a bit too far away from her, chin propped up on a clawed hand.]

How you doin'?

Comments

[culver]

[She thinks she should be grateful that his wings have moved--she can see better now. But she's also closer to him, which could be worrisome. She just has to be careful and avoid being tickled by his neck feathers. Laughter might not be a gear thing right now.]

More open I guess. Happier?

[It was hard to place.]

[cawky]

You say that like its a bad thing.

[But at that moment, Davesprite seems to sense something. He perks up a little and glances around before he suddenly squawks and releases Nill, scrambling to claw at his throat and the suddenly too short chain holding the spirograph there. One quick gust of air behind them gives a hint as to the perpatraitor of the incident.

Sure enough, there is another Davesprite, choking his doppleganger by the necklace around his neck.]

When I say "Keep your clone adventures locked down to the apartment' it doesn't mean "Fly around like an asshole and harrass my friends in the process".

[The actual Davesprite gives a quick, emotionless glance between his double and Nill before trying to drag them apart by the hold he already has.]

[culver]

[She is about to reply that it isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, it's great. Not many of her friends open up at all. Maybe it would be good for her too--she's felt closed off for a while, which wasn't such a bad thing when she was younger. But with age came the desire for companionship, if not the knowledge of how to acquire it. Maybe she could start now

And just as she opens her thoughts, he's being choked and she's stumbling back, arms raised for defense. But upon seeing another Davesprite, her arms go lax with shock; she doesn't lower them just yet. This could be a trick too. But the longer she watches the two of them struggle, the more she realizes that he had already been tricked, and that this is just a break in the fantasy that had been forming.

Cut off from contact she has no way to communicate, all she can do is watch, wrapping her arms around her middle. But she does step forward, expression asking Davesprite to please stop strangling his counterpart.]

[cawky]

[Davesprite doesn't stop right away, and the two struggle with one another for a brief moment. Both the look from Nill and the sharp slash across his arm from his doppelganger's talons force the alpha Strider to release the pendant. He flinches behind his shades and lands, promptly returning to standard Dave form so it would be easier to tell them apart. Meanwhile, the sprite sputters, trying to catch his breath.

Dave himself looks pretty agitated, but it evaporates with a short sigh and a hand sliding into his pocket.]

Yo. My bad about him.

[culver]

[Part of her is considering attempting to break the two of them up, especially once the original Dave gets slashed. But they stop just after that, so her few steps forward and uncrossed arms are of no use, except to reach towards the human version for a quick word. Part of her wants to just sink into the roof and down through the building so she doesn't have to face the embarrassment from learning that the Davesprite she was talking to very well could be gone in a few moments, meaning that the openness she'd thought he'd gained would disappear with him. But sadly, that is not an option. Her curiosity outweighs her embarrassment. Also her concern for that gash on his arm, dripping gold towards the ground.]

Are you alright? And how did this happen?

[cawky]

[Davesprite seems to remember the wound once Nill places her hand on him. He does his best not to flinch and pretends to just be vaguely interested in it.]

No big.

[The Davesprite on the ground takes a moment to coil up like a kicked puppy, rubbing his neck. The alpha rolls his eyes behind his shades a little.]

Rebound effect from dying in that dystopia we got dragged into, I think. Not really sure. There's another feathery asshole, but he's too scared of his own shadow to move passed the apartment. Its a pretty cool story. But then there's this asshole--

[He gestures with his bleeding arm -- this time he flinches.]

Id offer to get rid of him, but I don't know how.

[culver]

[Once the real Davesprite starts talking, Nill releases his arm (trying not to worry right now about his injury) and steps over to the downtrodden one. She reaches for his arm then, trying to get him to straighten up. And while she's there--]

You are not an asshole.

[She does look back to the one who's speaking, and shakes her head a bit. No, he doesn't need to get rid of what is probably some integral part of himself. She kind of likes this part, even if he was a little more hands-on than she's used to.]

[cawky]

[Dave turns to watch the exchange uncomfortably while the Davesprite on the ground looks especially stunned by Nill's defense of him. The sprite's wings fold back as he follows her lead and sits up, reaching over to hug her tightly and gratefully, grinning broadly.

The exchange makes the alpha Davesprite turn away awkwardly to nurse his arm, shrugging off what he had said after Nill expressed her desire to leave his clone be. Rose had acted similarly.

He probably should have kept his mouth shut.]

Whatever, man.

[culver]

[She knows she's made a mistake once she sees their expressions. Of course she should have taken a closer look at his arm first. He's bleeding for God's sake. Now all she can do is stand dumbly in the doppleganger's embrace, unsure of how to proceed. He does get a brief, loose hug back, but she pulls back after just a moment.

Nill turns to face the alpha, and extends a hand towards him. She may as well be able to talk to both of them at once. She even wiggles her fingers at him a bit.]

[cawky]

[The doppleganger is content to cling, regardless of whether or not she is returning the affection. Davesprite notices her hand reaching toward him and gives the sprite wrapped around her a bit of a cold stare. But then she wriggles her fingers, he sighs, and closes the distance between them.

Dave kneels to their level, reaching awkwardly for her hand with the arm that isn't bleeding. The doppleganger moves slightly behind Nill (without letting go) so that she is perfectly in between the two Striders.]

[culver]

[Part of her would like nothing more than to let the doppelganger cling, and to hug him right back. She thinks that both of them could use it right now. Instead, she holds both of their hands, glancing towards Davesprite's injury. Hopefully he'll let her wrap that later.

One more deep breath, and she looks from one of them to the other. It's a bit difficult with one of them right behind her, but she manages.]

Do either of you know what happened?

[cawky]

No.

[They answer in unison. Davesprite himself takes a moment to give his doppelganger a Look before continuing.]

But everyone was talking about their powers changing after they came back, and I haven't had a single bird follow me all month.

[It was almost a nice tradeoff, except that both clones were a pain in his ass. He doesn't say that though.]

[culver]

[Remembering Dave's bird-attraction power reminds her of what had happened in Venezuela, and she is instantly a little glad that for the time being it's gone. But that isn't important. Keeping the from wrestling again was, especially while she was between them.]

And instead you have two clones. You can't... put yourself back together?

[Eloquent.]

[cawky]

He can't figure out how. But I don't see why its such a big deal.

[The doppelganger pipes up from behind Nill. Davesprite's expression flattens and the clone falls quiet.]

[culver]

[When he speaks, she looks over her shoulder at him, wings fluttering. Her expression remains soft. As much as she'd appreciated the openness that this Davesprite had displayed, she knew that he wasn't quite right.]

Because you are one person. You are not the same with a part of you missing.

[cawky]

[The doppelganger stares uncertainly, as if he doesn't understand, before the alpha speaks up.]

I ain't convinced I'm split. They're like. I don't know--different? Like they're seperate from me.

[He frowns -- this is awkward, talking about himself to Nill with another Davesprite in the immediate vicinity.]

[culver]

[That makes her smile a bit.]

I can see that they are yes. But they must have come from some part of you.

[cawky]

[Davesprite's cheeks gain a small yellow tint when he spots her smile, struggling to keep his face straight. She was trying to suggest that some part of him wanted to cling to people (her, notably) like a desperate puppy.

The doppelganger smirks a little behind Nill, but doesn't chime in.]

They're only good for cramping my style. Trust me

[culver]

[Davesprite is obviously more of an expert on his style than she is, so she doesn't comment. Instead, she needs to figure out a way to get the doppelganger to stop clutching her so that he can go back home with his better half. She certainly isn't about to stay on this roof all night while they bicker, after all.]

What are we going to do then?

[Yes, we. She can always just let Kate know that she's helping out a friend with some power issues.]

[cawky]

["We". His expression sobers.]

Well...

[He stops to think. Its a very long pause, to the point that the doppelganger actually sits up a little trying to figure out what's going through his alpha-self's head.]

I died to get them.

[The two sprites look at one another briefly, before the doppelganger shrinks fearfully again.]

[culver]

[Nill waits, wondering what he's getting at. The moment he talks about dying, she squeezes his hand and shakes her head. She is not about to let that happen, or have any part in it at all.]

There has to be something else.

[cawky]

I ain't got a better idea.

[He eyes the copy -- maybe he could just kill that one and the other one and they'd go away.]

Do you?

[culver]

[Nill presses her lips together as she tries to think of something else. To be honest, death did act as a sort of reset button in the City--come back without your powers, come back without this problem. But it still isn't something she thinks is a great idea.

After a few moments of silence, she heaves a sigh.]

No. But I still don't want you to.

[cawky]

I don't really want to either but.

[He shrugs as nonchalantly as possible.]

They bring you back. It won't matter. I'll just be stuck a sprite for a few days, right?

[culver]

[That isn't helping at all. Any form of Davesprite dying, copies or not, is incredibly distressing.]

I think you should just wait and see if it works itself out.