why is there a word for that

[alicornucopia]

Finnah's just arrived at work to open the store for the morning shift; she has her apron on but hasn't put her hair up yet. She lets in the customer who always takes half an angle to determine that he wants four buttercreams, again, and then nips into the back to tend to her hair and check the overnight progress of the rock candy.

This isn't the back.

But that -

No, he's too tall to be Mial, if this is a Mial prank it's a stupidly elaborate one.

"Okay, I give up," she says, "what the hell?"

Comments

[unmarred]

"The crisis is very thoroughly over," says Mark, in case anyone was still in doubt about that.

[thisvorlunatic]

"No kidding," Mial agrees, hugging Finnah hard. "Shrennaki. Damn that feels good."

[alicornucopia]

Finnah giggles. "And he said you can just have it attached to you now you know it exists, I did it, it's nicer."

[thisvorlunatic]

"No kidding. Wow." He wipes his face. On Mark's sleeve. "Um. Sorry for having a complete breakdown, everybody."

[middlingalong]

Finnah pats him.

"Am I allowed to talk yet?" asks Ivan plaintively.

"Yes, fine, whatever," says Aurin.

[thisvorlunatic]

Mial sighs and hugs Finnah again, and then hugs Mark, and then hugs his mom.

"Well, that was exhausting."

[isthisart]

"It looked it. It's fixed to everyone's satisfaction?"

"Yep," says Finnah. "Back to work I go." She ruffles Mial's hair so some of it stands up and traipses out.

[unmarred]

Mark giggles.

[middlingalong]

The collective mood of the Ivans is recovering! Yay.

[unmarred]

That is good.

[alicornucopia]

With Finnah and Mial's parents back in Elcenia yet again, the contents of the bar are now

Miles, Mial, Milo, and Stalas,

Ivan, Aurin, and Jann,

Mark,

and Linya -

[gloriousdawn]

—and the approximately Miles-sized but not especially Miles-shaped girl who just walked in the door.

"...okay," she says, looking around warily. "I'm confused. Confused is what I am."

[isthisart]

"Bar?" asks Linya. "Who is this?"

This is an alt of Mark.

"An entire alt of Mark?"

Yes.

"Congratulations, Mark."

[unmarred]

"She's got her Miles on," Mark observes.

[gloriousdawn]

"I've what?" says, apparently, an entire alt of Mark.

[isthisart]

"Mark thinks you are currently pretending to be someone else, who you are probably closely related to and likely cloned from."

[gloriousdawn]

"...I object to this interpretation of events, first of all, and second of all what the hell?"

[middlingalong]

"That's Mark," says Ivan, pointing out Mark, "that's Miles, who he was cloned from, and the rest of us are alternate universe versions of or hangers-on to miscellaneous Mileses, which this bar seems to be having a theme day about. If you are a Mark you will probably find me and my alts here inexplicably fascinating, although maybe not while you're doing your whatever-Miles-as-a-girl's-name-is impression."

[gloriousdawn]

"Solvei," she says. "My name is Solvei."

[thisvorlunatic]

"...And is that your name as in the name of the person you're... currently being, or as in the name of the person you otherwise are?" asks Miles.

[gloriousdawn]

"Currently. Sis doesn't actually have a name as such. We couldn't come up with anything she liked enough to keep."

[middlingalong]

"Advantages of being a Vor, I guess, a default name comes with the package. Anyway, I'm Ivan, that's Jann, this is Aurin, that's Milo he goes with Jann, that's Mial he goes with Aurin, that's Stalas he hasn't got one, that's Linyabel she's Miles's wife."

[gloriousdawn]

[unmarred]

"What's wrong?" says Mark.

[gloriousdawn]

"Nothing is wrong. I am fine. More importantly, how did you all get here, why, and from where?"