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Description
Inlé stood in blackness, waiting. For what, he was not sure.

A second Inlé, hands in pockets, walked up behind the first and said, "Ah. There you are."

Turning, Inlé inspected the character before him. "Who are you?"

The character before him began to grin wryly at Inlé's stoic face. "Yes," the second Inlé said. "Who ... am ... I?" It crossed its arms. "I look like you."

"You do," Inlé agreed.

Gesturing with one hand, it continued, "I sound like you."

"You do," Inlé agreed.

The second Inlé rested its chin in its palm. "Then ... am I you?"

"You are not," Inlé answered.

The other Inlé let out a single quick laugh. "Are you sure?" it asked and began to fade, laughing, into the blackness.

Inlé was in class again. His teacher came up behind him and said, "Ah, Inlé. Are you well today, then?"

"I am, sir," Inlé answered. "Thank you for your concern."

"Ah," his teacher said. "And his speech has corrected itself. I was worried at first," he continued as he walked off. "Thought you might have had a concussion."

At lunch, Inlé sat alone again, once more trying to rest. People occasionally walked by, taking no notice of the boy slumped against the wall, as usual. This was how Inlé preferred his lunches, how he preferred his entire school day, when he could have it so.
But such uneventful days seemed to be growing increasingly rare.

"Hey," a voice called down to Inlé. A boy with a plate of food stood above him.

"Yes?" Inlé asked blandly.

"Mind if I join you?" the boy said, sitting even as he asked, and beginning to eat his sandwich. There were a few minutes of silence as the boy in front of Inlé ate while Inlé processed the change of circumstances.

"What is it you want?" Inlé asked finally.

Put out, the boy beside him said, "Jeez, I just wanted someplace to eat."

"Then why ask to join me?" Inlé asked.

The boy sighed. "You were here first. It's only right to acknowledge those who come before you, right?"

"You are quoting something about people who have died before you." Inlé said. "I happen to have remained alive for most of my life."

"Most of it?" The boy looked at Inlé puzzled, then burst into rambunctious laughter. "Ha ha! Most of your ha! life! Ha! You're a funny guy, you know that?"

The boy laughed again, then calmed, a hint of laughter still in his eyes. "Look," he began again when calm, "I wanted to thank you for helping me the other day."

"Huh?" Inlé said.

"Remember," the boy asked, "the thing with Brad about the money? I heard you even got in a couple of fights because of it."

Inlé thought hard for a moment, then remembered. "Oh. That. Now I remember." He began rustling into his pocket.

The boy--Jim, on recollection--was surprised. "'Now you remember'? You forgot? Jeez, way to help people out for nothing."

"It is not as though you are the only one with whom I interact," Inlé replied, pulling out another five dollar bill from his pocket. This he offered to Jim, "Here, the other half of the money, as promised."

"Come on, man!" Jim cried. "You think I want your money? You helped me out. Let's not get the roles mixed up, I'm the one who owes you."

Still holding out the money, Inlé answered, "You owe me nothing. I acted as I did for my own reasons. You were of little concern to me. Your loud friend was the problem."

"That's cold, man," Jim said. He paused for a moment, thinking. "So you really beat the crap out of him?"

"No," Inlé replied. "I did nothing to him, though I may have injured his brother. Take the money and tell no one about what happened."

Reluctantly taking the money, Jim said, "Fine and fine. But you may want to be careful. Brad's brother Tony is a super-senior on the football team. He was hospitalized towards the end of the school year and wound up failing because of it, but he's still one of the toughest guys on the team." Jim bit into his sandwich and began talking around a mouthful of ham and cheese, "You just made, like, thirty enemies in a five minute fight. I wouldn't be surprised if they jumped you to beat the crap out of you."

Inlé stood. Standing over the surprised Jim, Inlé said, "Let them come. I have faced worse than thirty school boys. Thank you for the information, though helping me further would likely get you mixed into this. From here on, do not get involved." He turned and walked off, leaving Jim to finish his meal alone.

Around the corner, he almost ran into the girl he'd spoken with after the problem the day before with three of her friends--all, he realized, classmates--whose names were beyond his grasp.

The four all wore nearly identical gothic-lolita garb: black leggings, dark grey skirts, and white blouses, all with an abundance of lacy frills. Beside the half-asian girl stood a very short girl with mussy, short, sand colored hair and a tall girl with cocoa skin and hair the brightest, most artificial red imaginable. The fourth girl was a blonde with fluorescent streaks of pink, purple, and blue shot through it at random.

"Young miss," Inlé said. "I apologize again for yesterday."

The other three ignored him completely, talking heatedly amongst themselves, but the girl addressed replied with a nod and a nervous smile as he walked by. She stared after him with a complex look on her face as he walked off.

Description
Inlé stood in blackness, waiting. For what, he was not sure.

A second Inlé, hands in pockets, walked up behind the first and said, "Ah. There you are."

Turning, Inlé inspected the character before him. "Who are you?"

The character before him began to grin wryly at Inlé's stoic face. "Yes," the second Inlé said. "Who ... am ... I?" It crossed its arms. "I look like you."

"You do," Inlé agreed.

Gesturing with one hand, it continued, "I sound like you."

"You do," Inlé agreed.

The second Inlé rested its chin in its palm. "Then ... am I you?"

"You are not," Inlé answered.

The other Inlé let out a single quick laugh. "Are you sure?" it asked and began to fade, laughing, into the blackness.

Inlé was in class again. His teacher came up behind him and said, "Ah, Inlé. Are you well today, then?"

"I am, sir," Inlé answered. "Thank you for your concern."

"Ah," his teacher said. "And his speech has corrected itself. I was worried at first," he continued as he walked off. "Thought you might have had a concussion."

At lunch, Inlé sat alone again, once more trying to rest. People occasionally walked by, taking no notice of the boy slumped against the wall, as usual. This was how Inlé preferred his lunches, how he preferred his entire school day, when he could have it so.
But such uneventful days seemed to be growing increasingly rare.

"Hey," a voice called down to Inlé. A boy with a plate of food stood above him.

"Yes?" Inlé asked blandly.

"Mind if I join you?" the boy said, sitting even as he asked, and beginning to eat his sandwich. There were a few minutes of silence as the boy in front of Inlé ate while Inlé processed the change of circumstances.

"What is it you want?" Inlé asked finally.

Put out, the boy beside him said, "Jeez, I just wanted someplace to eat."

"Then why ask to join me?" Inlé asked.

The boy sighed. "You were here first. It's only right to acknowledge those who come before you, right?"

"You are quoting something about people who have died before you." Inlé said. "I happen to have remained alive for most of my life."

"Most of it?" The boy looked at Inlé puzzled, then burst into rambunctious laughter. "Ha ha! Most of your ha! life! Ha! You're a funny guy, you know that?"

The boy laughed again, then calmed, a hint of laughter still in his eyes. "Look," he began again when calm, "I wanted to thank you for helping me the other day."

"Huh?" Inlé said.

"Remember," the boy asked, "the thing with Brad about the money? I heard you even got in a couple of fights because of it."

Inlé thought hard for a moment, then remembered. "Oh. That. Now I remember." He began rustling into his pocket.

The boy--Jim, on recollection--was surprised. "'Now you remember'? You forgot? Jeez, way to help people out for nothing."

"It is not as though you are the only one with whom I interact," Inlé replied, pulling out another five dollar bill from his pocket. This he offered to Jim, "Here, the other half of the money, as promised."

"Come on, man!" Jim cried. "You think I want your money? You helped me out. Let's not get the roles mixed up, I'm the one who owes you."

Still holding out the money, Inlé answered, "You owe me nothing. I acted as I did for my own reasons. You were of little concern to me. Your loud friend was the problem."

"That's cold, man," Jim said. He paused for a moment, thinking. "So you really beat the crap out of him?"

"No," Inlé replied. "I did nothing to him, though I may have injured his brother. Take the money and tell no one about what happened."

Reluctantly taking the money, Jim said, "Fine and fine. But you may want to be careful. Brad's brother Tony is a super-senior on the football team. He was hospitalized towards the end of the school year and wound up failing because of it, but he's still one of the toughest guys on the team." Jim bit into his sandwich and began talking around a mouthful of ham and cheese, "You just made, like, thirty enemies in a five minute fight. I wouldn't be surprised if they jumped you to beat the crap out of you."

Inlé stood. Standing over the surprised Jim, Inlé said, "Let them come. I have faced worse than thirty school boys. Thank you for the information, though helping me further would likely get you mixed into this. From here on, do not get involved." He turned and walked off, leaving Jim to finish his meal alone.

Around the corner, he almost ran into the girl he'd spoken with after the problem the day before with three of her friends--all, he realized, classmates--whose names were beyond his grasp.

The four all wore nearly identical gothic-lolita garb: black leggings, dark grey skirts, and white blouses, all with an abundance of lacy frills. Beside the half-asian girl stood a very short girl with mussy, short, sand colored hair and a tall girl with cocoa skin and hair the brightest, most artificial red imaginable. The fourth girl was a blonde with fluorescent streaks of pink, purple, and blue shot through it at random.

"Young miss," Inlé said. "I apologize again for yesterday."

The other three ignored him completely, talking heatedly amongst themselves, but the girl addressed replied with a nod and a nervous smile as he walked by. She stared after him with a complex look on her face as he walked off.