Familiar but different

Felix couldn’t help but swear softly under his breath as he maneuvered through the far too bright gala in search for his brother. The blond hadn’t even the slightest clue HOW they winded up separated yet here they were and here he was ALONE.

The pitiful glances and horrified stares from everyone around him, all these strange yet familiar faces, all the judgemental eyes, were so much easier to handle with Teddy there. He felt less like a freak of nature with his brother by his side because at least they could understand eachother. At least they weren’t alone.

Christ if Felix himself was this worked up over it, he couldn’t imagine how Ted was fairing on his own. Was he ok? Did it not bother him? Was-

Felix was pulled from his panicked, derailing thoughts when he winded up bumping right into some blonde in a purple dress, sending them both to the floor with a thud.

“Ow-“

A sigh escaped him as he waited for Ozzy to return from the bathroom. Alice had already headed off by herself fairly early on upon arriving to the gala, and Teddy... Well, it wasn't often that Ted left Felix alone in places like these, knowing that Felix didn't fare well on his own in public functions. Teddy was always more of a social butterfly than Felix was; more sociable, easier to approach, always had more to say than Felix could ever dream of. However, it seemed even his brother had run off elsewhere, perhaps thinking he'd leave Felix to spend time with his date... who wasn't even here, at the present.

He refrained from letting out another sigh, fearing that he'd be seen as rude. That was the last thing he wanted-- more negative opinions on him than he already had at home.

As he busied himself with the tedious task of entertaining himself, it turned out to be the biggest mistake he could have committed when he should have been paying attention instead, apparently. He felt the impact first before he realized anything was happening-- And before he knew it, he was on the ground, sore, with someone else right there on the floor next to him.

Felix blinked once, then instinctively jumped to apologizing for... well, he didn't really know. He was still getting his bearings, still startled from what just happened.

——— " Oh goodness... M-My apologies... " He mumbled, thinking it was probably his fault for being in the way while the older person obviously seemed to be in a hurry. Oh, no, and now Alice's dress was probably dirty... if there even was dirt in the void.

And then he paused fussing over the dress once he actually took a closer look at who'd run into him. He froze. Was that... blood? And spiders? What a... peculiar style for the gala. Felix quickly shook himself out of those thoughts. --No, it was rude to stare, and he didn't want to make this guy feel self-conscious.

——— " Ah... Um... Are you alright...? " Felix decided to ask instead, concerned as he eyed the person who looked somewhat like himself. Aside from the obvious physical differences, of course.

[Felix]: Ah... I'm so glad you think it looks nice. Frills and flows aren't quite my style, personally, so I was rather nervous about this.

[Felix]: Yes, I suppose you could say I did... Well, it's more like-- I picked it from the many dresses Alice was kind enough to lend me for the gala this time around. She has such a collection of purple... and black. I am partial to blues, clearly, and well... This worked.

Ron walks over to RS!Alice, His Ozzy and Madison trailing behind.

RON: Hey! You kind of look like my friend, are you.. Alice, by any chance?

[Alice]: How very sweet of you.

[Ozzy]: Hrk-- Did you have to jump on me for that!?!??

[Ozzy]: ...You mean this big one?

Penny navigated throughout the crowd of familiar-looking people, attempting to find a place to calm down due to the overwhelming chaos of everything. She usually liked crowded settings, since it made it harder for people to notice her, but she had to find somewhere to hide from all of it. Otherwise, she'd malfunction, and then Monty would have to find suitable tools to fix her, and the Kindergala didn't exactly seem like the type of place to hold robotics tools.

She found a nice spot, but there was one problem- there was a person there. Although, she looked quite calm, so Penny decided that she'd use the space anyway.

The girl in the area Penny was heading for looked a lot like Alice, and Penny wondered why for a moment, before remembering the whole multiverse thing. Goodness, all of this was really confusing.

"Uhm... hello!" Penny said, trying to seem nice, but she didn't really like talking to people that much. She tended to stay quiet and spend her time alone, but she supposed she should at least try and talk to someone other than the Monty and Carla from her own universe. "I'm Penny. I'm assuming you're another version of Alice?"

Alice never really minded being alone. Most of her time was spent that way, after all. But it wasn't as if she detested the notion of not being alone. She had many companions whom she lent her time fondly, and who in turn, accepted her cryptic nature.

--Of which, the companions who'd attended the gala with her, were quite busy with their own affairs. Or something like that, she assumed. She'd already wandered off herself, so she was not in any place to contest. One of these days, this habit of wandering on her own was sure to stir trouble... More often than not, however, they made for interesting occurrences.

Finding a quiet spot to reflect, she had been twirling her umbrella gently in her hands as she looked beyond the horizon, her thoughts as far as her gaze. It felt only a mere moment until she found herself in the company of a newcomer.

——— " I am. " Alice responded to the question, looking back at Penny, " And you are, indeed, the mirror of she who is metal and ribbon. "

She smiled, gentle and warm. Seeing a version of Penny who was not the one she knew for five years... How intriguing! The entire multiverse element of this was something she relished in as well. It was new. An adventure, which was always exciting and fun in the end.

you bet they are!!!!!!!!!

Ted couldn't help but envy his twin sometimes. He was pretty lucky in ways Felix never even seemed to notice. Lucky in other ways? No, that would be an outright lie. But in his sense of fashion, his taste for higher class clothing, and etiquette, and language, and... all that other stuff Ted personally found boring-- were all things Fe absolutely thrived in. Ted only barely managed to learn it just because he was going to inherit their father's company, and even then, he'd hated every second. Felix on the other hand, had no reason to learn it better than Ted ever could, but he did. He had a real talent for it. And it was probably another case of doing it in the hopes he'd earn their dad's favour for once, but Ted could tell Felix did actually enjoy that stuff too.

The kindergala again... Ted shifted himself on the couch he was sitting on. --Well, 'sitting' was the wrong word. He never liked sitting still for too long with the restless energy he had, and now he was hanging upside down, back draping over the cushions, legs up on the backrest. 

It was a shame that Penny couldn't come this time. Something about being busy with the numerous afterschool stuff she'd begun taking up, and Ted understood. After all, he had MMA, music lessons, and business classes, but that was enough to juggle with the gala going on too. Besides, he could probably plan some other date with Penny, just the two of them. That'd be nice. But he was really hoping he could go on a double date, now that Felix was finally ready to ask someone out this time. No matter; he was gonna wingman the heck outta him and Ozzy, and hopefully they'd have as great of a time as Penny and himself had. ...The last thing he wanted was to see his twin sad. Yeah, no, Ted had already decided this gala was gonna be fun no matter what!!!

But still, Ted didn't entirely want to come alone either. It was a masquerade party this time around, wasn't it? ...It was kind of a no brainer as to which one of his friends would enjoy that the most.

Calling up Alice to invite her turned into a nice conversation, which turned into Ted immediately setting off to go to her house. She was such a creative person, always bursting with ideas he'd never even thought of. All he did was complain about the dress code, how much he hated wearing stiff, fancy tuxes and suits. He had plenty of those in his closet, thanks to the typical Huxley dinner parties and company balls that Ted was forced to attend as the son that Mr. Huxley had put all his hopes on since the moment of his birth. Eugh. But he really liked Alice's ideas-- much preferred them, really-- And she mentioned having some clothing in her possession that might work.

"Why not wear something else?" Alice had suggested during the phone call, "If you don't enjoy wearing formal clothing, then don't. It is a masquerade, yes? Masks are an important part of the attire, indeed, but that's just one component of it. Costumes are another big part of it. Actual costumes, not just suits and ties; although there is a lot of that in the modern day."

Ted blinked. That was news to him. "Like, Halloween costumes?"

"...Hm, well, somewhat?" Ted could hear Alice's voice teetering on how to answer that, "Sure, I suppose. Like Halloween costumes, but with a level of decorum."

"So no dressing in Spongebob foam suits?"

"I suppose you could. I don't see why anyone would stop you, but traditionally, no." Alice rejected solemnly, not even a hint of getting out of character, refined and composed, "Regrettably, Spongebob was not invented long 'til the eve of the 20th century. But I am sure aristocrats would have loved to have Spongebob costumes as their main mode of dress for masquerades, had that materialized in their time." Ted stifled a laugh as he listened to Alice continue on, "No, no, I have a proposal which should find you leagues better."

"Oh?" Ted asked, moving to sit right-side up on top of the couch's back, trying to see if he could fit in between the space between the couch and the wall (He could not). "I'm all ears!"

He could practically hear the way Alice's eyes sparkled when she got really into her fantasy, fae court, riddling, bone god roleplay kinds of scenarios she'd get super into. Especially when other people played along. "I beseech that you should don yourself a rogue of yore. One who is stealthy, perceptive, and skilled. Agile, cunning, and quick-witted-- Such a role is what would contend best to the likes of you, Theodore Huxley."

Even after knowing Alice since kindergarten four years ago, he still sometimes struggled to understand her fancy-speak. This however, actually wasn't too bad this time. "A rogue? I know what that is! Those are, like, the thief guys in D&D, right?" Ted thought about it some more, nodding to himself, "I bet they dress pretty comfy, 'cause they gotta move around a lot, too. Yeah! That sounds perfect for me! ...Uh, so, how do they dress anyway? Are they fancy enough for the gala?"

"I can exert my magic, if you wish it, to add some ‘fancy’ elements necessary. Depart for my dwelling, and you shall be bestowed garments fit for Robin Hood himself. Certainly, I have something in here to spare. Some old costuming from plays, and whatnot." Alice paused for a second, "...And you've already set off, haven't you? The wind whispers so."

Oh. She could hear the wind through his cellphone. "Right, sorry. It is pretty windy today, huh...? That's distracting. Tell you what, we can just talk more when I get to your place! See you then!"