[TheSpatialWeeg]

(( Mari ))

January 17th.

For many a person, it was just another day at Li.

Then you have Rider, who's celebrating her birthday with Amitie and Valentino.

Sure, it may come out as weird to have only two girls celebrating the birthday of one of them, but the truth is...Arle's birthday left a bit of a bitter aftertaste, and Rider was imensely reluctant of having a party with a lot of people. Regardless of the fact that it was just the two of them, Amitie was doing her absolute best to make the party nice and comfortable for them. She even went the extra mile to bake the cake herself.

"Well, you know how birthdays go! The first slice always goes to the birthday girl! Happy Birthday, Rider~!" Amitie said before hugging the birthday girl in question. "Ehehe~ T-thank you, Ami...!" the little one said as the Yoshi went on to join in the hug.

Of course, her small celebration would soon give way to a very, very big surprise...

[Mari]

A polite knock came from the door. It had been a rough couple of weeks for a certain magical doppelganger, but with some help from her original self and friends (TM) she had managed to find her way back to Life Sphere. This new place unnerved her, but thankfully she'd had the presence of mind to ask around for someone who had once told her she wanted to help. She didn't want to where Rider or Amitie lived, having never expected to be free enough for it to matter. However, she did know where to find someone who would... Thus, just outside Rider and Amitie's apartment stood a ghost from their recent past, looking rather anxious as she waited to re-introduce herself. Hoo boy. This was going to be awkward. She just hoped Rider would be her friend, just as she'd somehow remembered. She knew her memories of watching over Rider for all those years weren't real, but somehow they still guided her heart in a way she couldn't explain. Her existential crisis would have to be put on hold, however. If she was too flustered, she might freeze up and be unable to speak. She would just have to hope that these false memories would prepare her even a little for this new, more substantial world. She waited anxiously to see who would answer the door.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

The two girls definitely heard the knock over at their door. Rider tilted her head. "H-huh? Was there supposed to be someone else...?" she asked the normal Amitie, to which the blonde shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Looks like we got some unexpected visits~" Amitie said. While she was rater afraid of being a party crasher ready to ruin the little birthday party...they weren't this polite, were they? The Puyo-capped one went to open the door...coming face-to-face with her doppelganger that she met a long time ago and just happened to help her a few days ago, meeting her again against all odds.


"Ah, Doppel! Came here to see Rider, I imagine~?" Amitie greeted, taking both of the doppelganger's hands, as if she was talking to an old friend. "Come on in, we were just having a little party to celebrate her birthday~!" she soon said. Of course, given how the magical construct seemingly had all of her memories, that would not come off as a surprise.


Rider glanced at the Amitie "twins" in shock at first, but before she could question what was going on, Doppelganger Amitie's necklace had caught the attention of the smol. "W-wait...that's the necklace I asked Amitie to give to...!!" She said before connecting the dots. "Y-you're...the Amitie from that mirage portal?!" she asked, to which the original Amitie nodded in confirmation. "Yep, that's her, all right! She managed to get out...somehow~!"

Rider's expression couldn't even transfer how surprised and happy she was at this predicament. She was having a hard time trying to even speak, however what she managed to do was pull the doppelganger for a hug.

[Mari]

Doppelganger Amitie was somewhat surprised by the warm invitation, but she was thankful that she'd had the opportunity. "Oh~? Wicked! I was afraid I might've missed it. It was Christmas Day for like a month back there." she apologized somewhat light-heartedly, allowing herself to gush a little as she moved inside at her original's side. She was, of course, wearing the necklace Rider had given her on full display. She beamed at the other, her chest tightening with anticipation as she set her eyes upon that familiar face with a tinge of shock. She hesitantly waited for the other to finish reacting to her presence, resisting the urge to blurt out with joy. However, to her surprise Rider pulled her in for a hug instead! The first thing Rider would notice was that Amitie's doppelganger had almost no weight to her, a trait she hadn't possessed back within the mirage. She was so light in fact that Rider would be able to easily move and lift her with a single hand if she tried. She almost seemed to hover in the air a bit as she was pulled over. The second thing Rider would likely notice was that she was a bit squishier than the real Amitie. She didn't quite have the firmness that came with bone and muscle down, feeling more like a giant plush doll in terms of how it felt to squeeze her. Any unintentional squishing didn't seem to bother the doppelganger, however. She merely reached to to gently cuddle Rider in turn, pulling her closer and enjoying a loving moment with the other. "...Happy birthday, Rider~!" Doppelganger Amitie said rather softly. She would have time to explain later, probably.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rider did indeed notice that the doppelganger was pretty light and squishy. She wondered why for a moment before pushing it to the back of her head. She'd ask later. "Ehe, thank you...uhm...Ami!" the smol said. "...I think I should make up a different nickname for you to avoid confusion..." she said to Doppel Amitie before placing her hand on her chin in thought.


"Well, she seems to be fine with being called 'Doppel', so I suppose you saying it is fine~" Amitie said...before turning to the doppelganger. "...Is it fine?" the Puyo-capped one asked, waiting for an answer. Moments later, Amitie would return to the seat. "Say, there's food if you want to eat! We won't be able to eat everything now~" She generously offered the magical construct. Of course, she could always decline...


"Say, Ami...or rather...Doppel Ami..." Rider began speaking. "How did you get out...? I've heard that Mirages couldn't leave the portal..."

[Mari]

Doppelganger Amitie seemed a little insecure about the name Amitie had chosen for her. I mean, she understood she wasn't real--but really? Naming her 'fake' for all intents and purposes? That was harsh. "Hehe... I'unno. Somehow that name feels like it belongs to ... somoene else, y'know?" she replied rather sheepishly, gently wringing her fingers for a moment before taking notice of the cake being offered to her. She eagerly accepted the cake. Decline?! That's nonsense, she loves sweets! "Y'know, I'm not completely sure! I still don't understand it all myself. I had to bother Klug to help me and we tried a whole lot of things. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get out until I tried~ But... I think the pendant you gave me contains ...me now." Doppelganger Amitie replied, gingerly taking the necklace Rider had given her into her hands and holding it out towards the other two, leaning forward a bit and sort of laying in mid-air before them to better show it off. The pendant appeared to glow slightly now, and upon being turned over to reveal its back one could observe a complex runic symbol that shone brightly with arcane magic. "Hey--Maybe you guys could name me!" the doppelganger then went on to suggest rather casually, eagerly taking a bite of the cake only to realize.... Oh god. No, that didn't feel right. Her insides were all messed up something fierce. The doppelganger just sort flinched, laying there in the air looking frustrated and confused for a moment before she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. "I... just realized I can't swallow." she would explain rather awkwardly. The doppelganger looked so defeated at that moment. Not only couldn't she feel hunger, but she couldn't eat for fun even!

[TheSpatialWeeg]

"O-oh...sorry..." both girls ended up apologizing for the earlier nickname. However, once the magical construct suggested the idea of giving her a name, both started to ponder about the possibilites. "I feel you could help us a little bit by telling what you don't want to be named...or nicknamed." Amitie commented. "I mean, I'm down with giving you a name, but you could give us a little startup by telling us what names you wouldn't like~" she went on to explain.




Rider didn't say much this time around, due to thinking about what the Mirage Amitie had said about pulling herself from the portal she was created in. So...she managed to get Mirage Klug to help work on something for her escape, and the eventual end result was...her pendant that she gave her as a gift playing an important part on her escape. Though the doppelganger's vague wording didn't help matters, she could understand that maybe she was...just as confused.



She would snap out of her thoughts as soon as Doppel Amitie went on to say that...she was unable to swallow food. Both her and Amitie looked equally confused and shocked. "...H-huh?" Was all Rider could muster. That little twist caught her off-guard the most. Amitie herself, while still surprised, was...noticeably less affected. There was something about her doppelganger that was...sort of weird, but she was yet to place what exactly was so different about Doppel from her. It had something to do with the fact that she could float around for really large periods of time. Perhaps her radically different magic was sort of a giveaway as well.

[Mari]

Doppelganger Amitie pulled her arm behind her head and awkwardly smiled in response to the shocked silence from her real world counterparts. "It's weird, but--Once I exited that world, I felt different. Y'know how like, you don't need to think about breathing or blinking?" Amitie explained, inadvertently trolling Rider and her original a bit. "But then you become aware of it, and suddenly you have to think about it?It was kind of like that when I left that fake world, only the opposite." Amitie tried to explain, fidgeting a bit as she went on. She seemed to realize that she was being confusing, however, and took a metaphorical step back to try and explain herself better. "I realized I wasn't breathing, but I didn't have to either. The same went for eating, and walking, and all those other things I thought I used to do without thinking about it. I guess I don't have a tummy, is what I'm trying to say... There's nowhere for the food to go..." Amitie went on. She was giggling in an attempt to take the edge off what she was saying, but the original Amitie would likely be able to see straight through her acting. Doppelganger Amitie was upset. When she'd become self-ware she had realized the world around her wasn't real, but she'd never fully grasped what it meant for her not to be real. Though her mouth opened, it led nowhere. There was no throat for the food to travel down, let alone any guts to process it.







"That's okay, though! Because when I thought about food really hard, I learned how to do this!" the doppelganger would go on to remark rather enthusiastically, holding out her hands towards the two. A pinkish white magical energy seemed to leak from her palms, likely familiar to Amitie. It was the same magic that most of her attacks involved. The magic first began to condense and take shape. It then gained depth, color and finally texture. In her hands were two bowls of ice cream to go with the cake! It looked all too real, and if the two deigned to taste test it they'd find it was quite yummy. Had she just created food out of nowhere?

"I'm not sure on a name, though... I keep thinking about how Raffina has a really pretty name, but that's not really helpful huh? I guess I hadn't really thought about how hard of a choice this was before now. ...I could be Amitwo! *Giggles* Amitsu?" (Wow, that was terrible)

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Both girls listened intently to the Doppelganger explaining her situation. The two really didn't know what to think of that predicament. Sure, she wouldn't have to bother with food or to take in the somewhat toxic air, but considering she believed herself to be every bit as human as they did, it probably came as a shocker to the other...Another one of those double-edged sword scenarios. "How are you holding up with that though?" Amitie tried asking. She had noticed how upset the other was, but decided to refrain from asking much. She didn't want Rider's tiny party to be put on a down mood, and the doppelganger would probably know this. They were both Amitie, after all.

Once the magical construct mentioned learning a new trick, both her and Rider paid close attention. Amitie had noticed the magic seemingly dripping from her fingers. There seemed to be more about her doppelganger than what she was letting them know. She'd need to talk to her later. Of course, once the doppelganger created ice cream, Rider was pleasantly surprised. Amitie, on the other hand, eagerly took one of the bowls of ice cream and began to eat it. Curse that sweet tooth! The Doppelganger wouldn't get a voiced reaction, but the smile Amitie produced afterwards already spoke volumes.


"M-may I...?" The birthday girl asked as she grasped the other bowl of ice cream and tasted it as well. "I-it's delicious...! How did...?!" Rider questioned before returning to eating the ice cream. Looks like both really did enjoy it! Their attention turned back to the magical construct of Amitie, whom began to ponder about a name for herself that had nothing to do with 'Doppel'. "...I think 'Amitwo' sounds fine~" Amitie went on to say. "M-me too, b-but...if you don't like it...it's fine, we'll find another one." Rider added.

[Mari]

"It's alright~ I'm just glad to be here! Y'know?" Doppelganger Amitie would reply somewhat light-heartedly, deciding not to focus on her longing for a return to a nromal life. Th-There was nothing they could do about that, right? She wasn't real, and she could never be real even if she'd somehow escaped the mirage. She really needed to get off of this train of thought. There was the matter of her name to attend to, and... They both liked it? Wow, for a moment there she had felt like a total nerd! Hearing the others responses though, Amitwo felt reassured that she'd made the right choice. "...It's familiar but distinct~! I like it! From now on, I'll be known as ... Amitwo! This calls for a toast." she went on to reply rather enthusiastically. It was only a single syllable off of Amitie's name, which meant it sounded familiar right off the bat! She wouldn't have to adjust very much to this name at all. The hard part would be learning not to respond to the name Amitie. Conjuring up a new bit of food, Amitwo produced a series of milkshakes for the girls. The floats had been generously topped with a scoop of familiar ice cream flavors and some crumbled candy toppings. It came complete with retro swirly straws! Noteworthily, Amitwo had made three. It seemed that in her effort to forget about that whole being unable to eat business, she'd actually forgotten. "I'm still figuring out how I work, honestly, but I can create any food I remember from memory! It's like... playing with dough! Only the dough is whatever magic gives me form." Amitwo explained, moving to take a sip of her own milkshake! ...It was only after she did this that she realized what she has done. "Oh--And I can eat this. So that's pretty nice~" she awkwardly explained. She'd already known she could, it having been her only source of food while she was outside the life sphere. The food simply turned back into magic upon entering her mouth, however it could not nourish her and wasn't quite as ... nice as the real thing.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

"All right, Amitwo it is~! This calls for a toast!" Amitie said in excitement, before noticing how she synced with Amitwo's sentence at the toast part. Amitie tried her best to maintain her laughter, but she ended up failing and erupting in laughter. And it seemed to be pretty contagious, as Rider soon joined in, the two only stopping as Amitwo would have finished producing the milkshakes. The two girls picked the drinks of their choosing, and held their drink up for a toast.




There's a bit of silence from them until the birthday girl rather awkwardly broke the ice. "U-uhm...toast...?" she asked them. After the toast (presuming that they actually did toast), Rider would catch a glimpse of her pet Yoshi coming dangerously close to the cake. "V-valentino, no! I already filled your plate with cookies!" Rider...very lightly scolded the Yoshi, causing him to nervously look away.

[Mari]

Amitwo giggled in tandem with Amitie, a sort of elation filling her as she shared in the moment of a toast with the other two. It was so... strange. She wasn't sure how, but she could tell they were in near perfect sync at that moment and it was ... bliss. It was like she'd just found her soul mate, a statement that became a lot more meaningful when one considered the questionable existence of Amitwo's soul! Somehow, under her carefully manufactured existence, she'd experienced something new. She quietly wondered if Amitie also felt that sense of ... fulfillment being with the other, or perhaps if it was tied to her very nature as a magical construct. Either way, a big ol' blush formed on her cheeks. Her free hand hovered over her non-existent heart, as if to still her non-existent breath.

Amitwo has discovered ... a new sense of humanity!
She wants to feel more humanity.

It was then that Amitwo realized that she did belong here. Amitie and Rider were her friends, even if she was rather strange. ...Woah! Strange cute dinosaur creature! Amitwo drew back slightly upon noticing Valentino, but his body language quickly communicated that he wasn't a wild animal to her. ...And you could give him cookies? She liked this creature already. "Wow--You have a pet..?" Amitwo asked, impressed, to say the least. She stepped over and produced a big ol' cookie, offering it to the yoshi. She could feel a hollowness inside of her from all this food conjuring she was doing. Did it... sting a little? She didn't remember it hurting.