“What?”

Paulette2 replied, “When you found Bryan here, in the restaurant, and all he did was look up and smile… that bothered you, didn’t it?”

“Well… yeah,” Paulette admitted. “I was hoping for a lot more than a smile.”

“And you kind of got it… well, OK, I got a lot more, but I think I understand your perspective. I might even be able to let you share the feeling.”

“Huh? How?!”

Paulette2 said, “Well, think about it. You’re me if I had gone back, or I’m you if you had stayed in Subreality. You came to a fork in the road and Subreality made it so you didn’t have to decide which way to go.”

With a chuckle, Paulette2 interjected, “I came to a fork in the road and took it, you mean.”

“Exactly,” Paulette 2 said with a laugh. “But I can fill you in. The question is, do you trust me? Do you really believe that we are basically the same person?”

“Well, I want to, because your explanation makes sense, but…”

“If I really was someone else, would I be offering to fill you in, or would I be bragging about getting what should have gone to you? Or even trying to steal Bryan from you outright?”

Paulette sighed. “OK, I guess you’re right?” Then, more confidently, “All right, what’s the plan?”

“Well, in a place like Subreality there’s probably lots of ways to make it happen, but the only one that comes to my mind is… this.” And with that, Paulette2 draped her arms around Paulette and gently kissed her. Their tongues danced around each other briefly and then Paulette was overwhelmed with sensation. She opened her eyes and for a moment, thought she saw Bryan there, rather than Paulette2…

* * *

Fog. Vague awareness that something is supposed to happen somewhere soon…

“Earth to Paulette,” a familiar voice intoned. “Come in Paulette.” The fog slowly began to clear, leaving Paulette looking up into her own smiling face.

“Hey,” Paulette2 said. “If I hadn’t gone through the exact same thing I’d be kinda worried.”

“Wooow,” Paulette said with a giggle. “How long was I out?”

“Remember where you are,” Paulette2 gently reminded her. “Time is very elastic here, at least compared with Out There.”

“Well, however long you’ve been here, you’ve been busy.” Paulette stood up, taking in her surroundings and reorienting herself. “Getting familiar with this place first of all, then setting up a restaurant…”

“Well, I’ve done a lot of exploring,” Paulette2 started, “but I’m not as familiar with this place as you might think. Remember, even without Writers being as active as they used to, there’s plenty there that changes every day. All of Subreality outside this restaurant could have completely changed just since you came in. Plus–”

Paulette cut her off. “Why don’t you just say ‘Thank you’ and accept the credit?” she asked, with a smile.

With a sigh, Paulette2 replied, “Yeah, you’re right, I have done a lot in a short time. Now, let’s you and me get back to the others before they think we forgot about them.”

HOME

Bryan for his part was digging into his Monte Cristo sandwich, made just the way he liked it. Once he had swallowed a mouthful, he asked, “Is all of Subreality this… ‘user-friendly’?”

“Well, no, probably not,” Mary Prankster replied. “But since your muse owns this place, you’re kind of ultimately responsible for it. You probably won’t get this kind of service anywhere else… at least, not yet.”

As Bryan’s fork was about to lift another morsel to his mouth, he signaled for his unseen feeder to wait. “Hey, Paulette,” he said, “this could solve that situation you were worried about back at home. You know, about having your own source of income.”

But before the original Paulette, or at least the one Bryan thought of as the original, could reply, Paulette2 spoke up. “I thought about that, but it doesn’t seem like it would work.”

“What do you mean?” Bryan asked.

“Subreal money is just that, Sub-real. Real money works here, but money from here won’t work Out There. If it did, well, you both–” (she indicated Bryan and the other Paulette) “would have known I was here, because you would have gotten notice of a bank deposit, and a note ‘from Paulette in Subreality for the other Paulette.”

As the group continued eating, mostly in silence, a yellow ball of light began flashing directly above Mary Prankster’s collar. Bryan and “original” Paulette began staring, almost before they realized it.

“Um, Mary?” Bryan started. “Why are you, um, glowing?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you could see that. That was a notice from Out There that we’re about to have a fun visitor. One of those Mundane types that doesn’t have an imaginative bone in his body has just been detoured into Subreality thanks to a couple of his coworkers who want to teach him a lesson. Remember what Paulette2 said about time being fluid here? Well, our visitor will be ’stuck,’ more or less, where he is until we’re ready for him. That way you can all enjoy your meal first.”

Bryan, with a quizzical look on his face, said, “You just brought up so many questions, I don’t even know where to start asking.”

Paulette looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, “So he’s actually stuck?”

“In a kind of suspended animation, until he’s released,” was Vik’s reply. “He won’t know the difference.”

“Good, because I need to run to the ladies’ room.” Turning to Paulette2, she added, “And, um, could you come with me? I need to talk to you about something.”

“Don’t run, walk,” Paulette2 quipped. “And if you need to know the way, the waitress uniform standing right outside our section will lead you right to it.”

“Well, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. It has to do with–” She sighed. “I just need to talk to you, and I want to do it in private.”

“No fighting, ladies,” Mary Prankster called out jokingly to the two Paulettes as they left the section.

“Fighting? No, it’s nothing like that–” Paulette started, before Mary cut her off.

“I know you won’t fight, but I can imagine what you want to talk to her about, and I imagine it could get a little tense, that’s all.”

Once they were out of earshot, Bryan said, “Tense? Why would it be tense? They are really both the same person, right?”

“Of course they are,” Mary replied. “Just remember where you actually saw Paulette for the first time.”

“Here, in Subreality. Plus, I already knew, or had an idea, of what she looked like.”

“Yeah, but there’s two of them now,” Vik interjected. “Only one got to fully experience being seen by you for the first time.”

Bryan was quiet for a few moments. Then, “so you mean that when she came in a little while ago…”

“I’m sure she was expecting a much different welcome that what she got. She probably feels cheated.”

“Then I should go fix this,” Bryan said, as he started to get up from the table.

“No, you should stay put,” Mary said, as unseen hands gently pressed against his shoulders to hold him in place. “Let her work this out with herself.”

“Her other self,” Bryan replied. “The one who actually got the reaction she wanted.”

“Exactly.”

Paulette followed the waitress uniform that her alter ego had mentioned, with the other Paulette in turn following her. Paulette was lost in her thoughts, with little thought that what she was thinking and feeling might have been obvious to others. She did notice more floating platters of food, as well as a smattering of animated uniforms and gloves, all efficiently going about their business. This is perfect for a restaurant staff, she realized. No petty bickering, no worries about “personal problems,” none of that stuff.

Finally the uniform dress she was following turned toward her, an empty glove motioning towards a door marked “Ladies.”

“Thank–,” she started, remembering she was talking to clothing. She chuckled to herself and continued into the restroom, with the other Paulette following.

Before the door had closed behind them, Paulette whirled around and accosted her double. “OK, now tell me,” she demanded, “who are you really?”

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