milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

It's late afternoon when someone who really looks like he doesn't belong here saunters in from the front door. (It's probably the uniform.) There's surprise on his face at first - who isn't surprised when a bar you've never been to before shows up where your closet should be? - but the expression is soon replaced with a big smile.

There's a blue flash and he's at the bar ordering a cup of coffee, black, and then another flash and he's seated in one of the comfy armchairs by the window. Legs crossed ankle over knee, he sits back and watches the display with an odd curiosity.

This has to be it. The place the workers at the Commission only whisper about.

Number Five has finally arrived at Milliways.

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Fives nods, understanding that.

"If I start getting notes addressed to you I'll pass them on," he says, with another small chuckle.

"Fivessss at least - my birth number was fifty-five, fifty-five."

He's used to people sharing his face - someone not a clone with his name, that's just weird.

Edited 2020-10-22 16:36 (UTC)

"Ditto."

He shakes his head. "If there'd been enough of us I imagine the numbers might have got that high. There's only 43 of us."

"Small run," Fives comments, completely misunderstanding and assuming they're talking clones.

"Guess you're not as disposable as us troopers."

(Clone humour. Except it's not that funny.)

43 Number Fives? The world couldn't handle it.

"We're all unique. Or I assume they are. I only know six others."

"Huh." Fives sits back, thinking "Not clones, then?"

He replays the last few minutes in his head, and a finger traces the teleportation from earlier.

It's got something to do with that, hasn't it?

"But constructs of some sort?"

As far as he knows, no organic species has up to 43 kids in one family.

"No." But maybe something along the same idea? "Constructs doesn't exactly work, either."

It's something he's thought about a lot, actually. "We were all born from different women on the same day, and none of the women were pregnant before they gave birth. That's not normal."

But what it is for sure, he doesn't know.

Fives exhales slowly. He understands that's not normal, and he knows nothing about that sort of thing.

"That," he gestures to the teleportation path, "part of it? Normal for your species?"

Which yes is probably human but Fives doesn't judge.

Five looks over and smiles a little. "As far as I know I'm the only one who can do that without artificial aide."

And now Fives wants to know about artificial aid! But he echoes the smile, and then huffs out a small laugh.

"Great first conversation, huh? Explain everything about yourself and hear nothing about the actual bar?"

"Is that a service you're supposed to be providing?" He doesn't really mind if they don't talk about it.

"Only if you want it," Fives offers. "Sometimes it takes some getting used to. But it you wanna just enjoy your coffee, that's fine by me."

"Well, now I'm intrigued." He sets his coffee down and leans forward. "IT's just a bar, isn't it?"

He bets it isn't.

"Just a bar at the end of the universe with patrons from who knows how many galaxies," Fives says helpfully. The guy didn't flinch at space travel and clones so he shouldn't need that much easing in.

"I have to say the end of the universe is much more aesthetically pleasing than the end of the world." The fact that he's guarded from this particular happening also helps.

"People from space and time." He considers that for a moment. "If I had assassins after me, they wouldn't be able to come here, right?"

"I can't even get my brothers through the door," Fives says. And believe him, he's tried. "I don't think anyone chasing you would be able to follow, no."

"Brothers are assholes. My sisters aren't much better, but at least they have brains."

He finishes off his coffee and shakes his head. "They have the ability to get here, but I've heard this place is a neutral site."

"Don't have any sisters," Fives says, jerking a thumb towards himself. "Clones.

"Yeah, this is neutral. Violence isn't allowed anyway, but there's a whole other rule covering grudges and stuff like that."

He shrugs. They could have cloned women for all he knew. They should clone women; they're dangerous.

"No violence at all? What about in self defense?"

If they did, Fives would just have sisters instead of brothers. It's not like there's genetic variety, is his point.

"I figure that if someone starts something you can defend yourelf," he says. "It's really not come up as long as I've been here."

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