Bugs 2.5 [D4, EE - Open]

[Ashley Elle]

Agatha shakes her head. "I don't know. She looked like me. She seemed to recognize me. Maybe I do have an evil twin?" She was confused.

[Calico Carter]

"Any enemies you know about? Back when I was... still trying to make a go of it as a performer, I had some people... less than kindly disposed toward me. Never hit your level of fame, not even close, but..."

[Ashley Elle]

Agatha shrugs. "It's possible. There isn't anyone who particularly comes to mind." She winces. "My managers. They can be a bit... much sometimes." Could they have done something to this girl? She hated to admit it. She wouldn't put it past them. They really wanted her to succeed.

[Calico Carter]

"Managers? You think they'd... sabotage you like that?"

[Ashley Elle]

Agatha shakes her head. "No. They want me to succeed. It's their life goal. But maybe they could have done something to make someone angry with me? I really don't know who that person is and why they are trying to sabotage me."

[Calico Carter]

"Hm. Well. You know your life better than I do, but... it seemed like a pretty clumsy hatchet job. They must have known you'd be running a little late..."

[Ashley Elle]

"I hope not. I was late because it the crowd was bigger today, and it took time get Mr. Wiggles carriage through. I don't think it's anything she could do herself. I hope it's just her.. But it doesn't matter if it was clumsy or not, what matters is if the press thinks it will sell papers."

[Calico Carter]

"It will."

Calico sighed.

"Trust me. I'm still tarred with a fire I had nothing to do with six years down the line. Someone as famous as you? Yeah, the tabloids are going to have a field day."

[Ashley Elle]

"Yeah..." Her parents were going to be pissed. "Maybe I can play up the evil twin angle?"

Agatha then realized what Calico had said. And remembered what she had said before. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. It's terrible to get blamed for something you didn't do." She didn't know the details, but Calico said she didn't do it, so her story checks out. And at least people had seen it there was another Ashley there.

[Calico Carter]

"I'd say just stick with the truth as you know it. Evil twins are kinda... out of left field. You've got witnesses to back the truth up, lean into that, leave the speculation to the idiots who're already salivating looking forward to your first break-up..."

[Ashley Elle]

That was good, solid advice. Certainly, not what her parents/managers would have told her. Unless the girl actually is an evil twin.

"Well, truth is I have no idea. About the break-up either. My parents haven't picked a boy yet." Ashley shrugged. Dating was something for the managers and agents to decide. "But you're right. Give them as little as possible. Thanks."

She smiles more genuinely than her usual, carefully practiced smile. "You can call me Agatha if you want. Ashley is my stage name." She liked Calico. She seemed nice. "Besides, out here, I feel more like Agatha than Ashley."

[Calico Carter]

Calico smiled.

"Now, I know Ashley sings about vermin when she can, but I get the feeling it's Agatha who loves them best- am I right?"

[Ashley Elle]

"Yeah. My grandpa studies vermin, and I used to spend the summers with him. He actually sent me Mr. Wiggles's egg." She looks at Orlok. "How did you two get together?"

[Calico Carter]

"A bit more like how you and Miss SParkles just met... but a bit less chummy. I trapped him."

She reached up to stroke the top of Orlok's head with her index finger.

"Used to be, I just trapped monsters- usually vermin, but sometimes other types- and sold them to wranglers. Or in the case of a mess of carnoids, to a research lab. But this little twerp... something about how he didn't take being trapped lying down, you know? Nearly froze my fingers off the first time I tried to get him out. You know how I eventually got him to calm down? I let him bite me, because he hadn't fed in a while. In exchange for a nasty, itchy welt on my left forearm, I got Orlok calmed down enough to, well... bond. 'Cause by then? I knew I wasn't giving him up to anyone. He'd either fly free or stick with me, but he'd earned it, whatever he chose to do."

She smiled as he fluttered his wings briefly.

"Got to say, I'm glad he chose the way he did, even if he shreds my shirts sometimes if he gets bored."

[Ashley Elle]

"Oh. That's cool. It sounds l guess it makes sense how Orlok this far. He's a true fighter. I'm glad you found each other." It sounded like a story from a movie. Though they were natural enemies, vermin and trapper, and didn't get a long at first, they eventually became best friends. Agatha liked that story.

[Calico Carter]

"He's a scrappy little bug, that's for sure."

Chitter.

"He also watches my back, which, you know, comes in handy in life."

[Ashley Elle]

Ashley nods. "I understand. The trapping life is hard and you need a partner you can trust. Well, my grandpa told me plenty of stories about it at least."

[Calico Carter]

"I'd bet every onz I had and every onz you have that he was better at it than I'm likely to get."

She shook her head and grinned ruefully.

"I'm not even a patch on my father, and he never get set up as a researcher."

[Ashley Elle]

"I'll take that bet. Your story is just beginning. You never know how far you will go until it ends." Ashley then laughs. "Besides, I'm pretty broke right. At least, until the contract money starts to come in. So, it's not a big bet."

[Calico Carter]

"Broke, huh? Lot of that going around."

Calico winked.

"But I suppose we'll see. One more day to see if Orlok can handle Riki, and after that... I dunno!"