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[stridersgonnastride]

Just out of sight of the bar itself, there's a table. Not in a shadowy corner, but not in the main drag of Milliways.

It is currently occupied by a preposterous amount of Daves. One is about thirteen, short and skinny and sulking. If Milliways has any sort of chronology, this is the 'current' Dave.

Two of them are a little older, but about the same age as each other. Still deep in puberty's grasp, maybe around fifteen. One is wearing a dealer's visor.

The next Dave looks more like the 'future' Dave who was most recently in the bar, helping out his younger self. He's probably sixteen.

The final Dave is quite a bit older, wearing a fancy suit jacket and dress shirt over a pair of black jeans. He's face down on the table with his shades mashed up against his forehead. There's a half-full glass of water next to his elbow. He mutters to himself occasionally but barely stirs.

They are apparently playing poker.



[OOC: Feel free to just toss in a reaction if this is too many Daves for you to actively thread with. It is entirely ridiculous.]

Comments

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen pauses, standing nearby and watching all the Daves.

Just for a second.

She might almost smile.

(Liranan, meanwhile, just heaves a sigh and slides himself under a nearby chair, apparently dropping off to sleep. He has a feeling this might be a while.)

"Um. Daves? Are you -- plotting something?"

[stridersgonnastride]

"hey girl hey," the twin Daves chorus.

Then, "hi ysa" from the older Dave. The alternate universe older Dave twitches and mutters but doesn't move.

The current Dave looks extremely unimpressed. "i'm not," he says.

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysa huffs a quiet laugh.

"All right, I believe you. Though -- would you mind dealing me in? If -- "

Well.

"Or I could take over the oldest Dave's hand? He seems. Um. Indisposed."

[stridersgonnastride]

"sure," says dealer Dave. Everyone tosses down their cards and get a fresh batch, including Ysa.

The other 'future' Dave picks up AU Dave's head up off the table by his hair, and inspects his half-open eyes. "he's tripping balls but he'll be okay. probably"

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysa fishes around in her belt pouch and pulls out two vials, one filled with clear reddish liquid and the other filled with a startlingly non-organic-looking yellow liquid.

She sets these on the table.

"If he doesn't seem to be, give him both of these. It should help."

Then she picks up her cards, expression abruptly gone very politely cheerful and perhaps a little reserved.

[stridersgonnastride]

Oldest Dave shakes his head and picks up his cards.

Youngest Dave gives her a dubious scowl. The middle Daves are squabbling over exactly whose card that is, and who was trying to hid it up their sleeve.

"no shots," mutters AU Dave.

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen snorts.

"Health and stamina potions. This way none of you will have to haul him to the front door when it's time to leave."

She's very thoughtful.

She also smiles very faintly at the youngest Dave, then sorts the cards in her hands and sets down two.

[stridersgonnastride]

"thanks," Future Dave says absently, looking through his cards. "since these guys probably couldn't lift him real well which means i'd have to do it

"do you even lift bro" he asks Current Dave, whose scowl only gets bigger.

"fuck off" he says, and tosses three cards down.

[freedom_is_grey]

"I suppose Liranan could also haul him out on a travois, if it came to that."

Then she looks up, gaze flicking around the circle of Daves.

"Is meeting yourself always this strange? I've never done it."

[nepetaleijon]

There is a swishing blue tail up in the rafters, somewhere over a very large pair of yellow eyes.



That is entirely too many Daves right there.

[stridersgonnastride]

It's an absurd amount of Daves, but still not the most that have ever been in one place before.

The Dave dealing the cards seems to be the most involved and interested in the game. The others are attempting to cheat, not even trying to win, or mostly unconscious.

SBAHF references fly like sakura petals around someone hoping their senpai will finally notice them this year.

[nepetaleijon]

Nepeta inches along the rafter, trying to get a closer look. And pawssibly possibly trying to figure out which, if any, of this multiplicity of Striders is the one she knows.

She's close enough to listen to their conversation by this point.

[stridersgonnastride]

There's only one Dave likely to be him. The oldest one (who isn't from an alternate timeline). He's not, however, pre-retcon Dave. Even slouched at the table he's a little taller and healthier looking than that Dave.

"it's your turn"

"it's not my turn dude it's your turn i already went"

"oh yeah because we totally believe that"

"you should dude i'm you look at my face see how trustworthy i am"

"you've got a face only a mother could love it's true"

"did i just recursively 'your mom' myself"

Two of the Daves fistbump each other.

[nepetaleijon]

It's weirdly like looking at a hand of cards, studying the Daves below -- a comparison made irresistible by the actual cards fanned out in their hands. Especially to an eye attuned to the Heart aspect, which makes it clear that this isn't five people of similar appearance but five different iterations of the same self.

(Five of a kind, of course, is only a possible hand when there is a joker in the deck. Nepeta tentatively drops that classification onto the oldest of the Daves.)

[stridersgonnastride]

That's fair. If any Dave is a wild card, it's one from an alternate timeline. Especially one that becomes a famous director and freedom fighter.

The sixteen year old future Dave glances up into the rafters.

[nepetaleijon]

:OO!!

Busted. Nepeta waves at him, sheepishly.

[stridersgonnastride]

He tips her a quick salute, but only when the others are distracted with their cards.

"i raise," he says, eliciting groans from around the table.

[bloodyvirgo]

Kanaya pauses as she catches sight of the herd of Striders, but breezes over nonetheless and somehow manages to just, slide in between two of the Daves.

"Gentlemen," she greets without preamble.

[stridersgonnastride]

She's sneaky like that.

The two fifteen year old Daves blink at the troll who has suddenly appeared between them.

"damn kanaya,"says the older Future (non AU) Dave. "you've already got a lalonde in your pocket and now you're racking up duplicate striders too you can't toy with our emotions like this"

[bloodyvirgo]

Kanaya just smiles at the Dave that's addressed her, reaching around one of the younger iterations to pluck up the cards from the eldest.

"Perhaps I'm Merely Looking To Complete The Strider-Lalonde Matching Set?"

[stridersgonnastride]

"that's sick maryam," says the Dave with the dealer's visor. "fuckin' savage"

Current Dave doesn't say anything and attempts to fade into the background, unsuccessfully.

"so are you after our hot teen mom too" asks Future Dave.

[bloodyvirgo]

"That Would Be Telling," she tells Future Dave, grinning with many sharp teeth as she looks around at all of them. "My Harem Gathering Will Be Swift And Sudden."

[stridersgonnastride]

"score" says AU Dave, his head still on the table.

The other Daves peer at him, waiting to see if he says anything else.





Apparently that was a complete thought. There are several shrugs.

"so what's your bet kanaya"

[bloodyvirgo]

Kanaya looks briefly to the unfamiliar AU Dave before her attention turns back to the table. She produces a few highly .jpeged boondollar coins, placing them into the pot.

"I'll Bet Five."

[stridersgonnastride]

AU Dave lifts his head up long enough to stare at the coins as they glitch into each other, the table, and the other bets. "holy shit," he says. Then he tips sideways and his head thunks down again.

Future Dave pats him on the shoulder. "chill dude it's cool

"i call" He dumps some bottlecaps into the pot.