Jessica nudged open the hotel door to John's room. "Breakfast time! I'll be out here when you all are ready!"

Distant grumbling and giggling was good enough confirmation.

She walked back to the table, which was covered with various morning dishes. There were significant perks to being the older sister to the creator of a simulation, and unlimited access to in-sim resources was only the most basic ones.

John stumbled into the room, avatar clearly swapped out for one that was theoretically 'awake and ready for the day' while he slumped into a chair. "Morning."

Grace floated (literally) to his side while Temptation… "Put some clothes on, please."

The demoness huffed. "Fine… Stupid Indecency Hangups Suck, Make Up!"

With black and blood stars and swirls, she twirled in place as her body flickered and flashed and ribbons of a scandalous outfit SLOWLY covered up her nudity. "By your social hangups and prudish natures combined, I AM NOW FULLY CLOTHED!"

John snorted. "Too energetic. Too early."

Grace had already set a cup of tea by her Lord's plate. "At least she respected your limits when we were cuddling. Mostly."

Temptation strut her stuff as she swanked her way to her chair. "I deserve EXTRA head pats for not 'playing with the goods' too, let me tell ya! Bad enough we aren't just jumping to the later bases or going for a 'home run' as it is."

Jessica watched her brother wave off the literal temptation. "Maybe in the future… To be honest, a bit of kissing and cuddling is my limit for now. Also: My sister is like, RIGHT there, so could we change topics? Please?"

She couldn't help but chuckle. "To be fair, you've already stumbled on ME a few times when I was less than presentable, I won't judge… Just, be safe if you do take that step later on. And you know, make sure everyone involved is physically and mentally mature and consenting first."

After all, considering HER younger years? Anything TOO harsh would just be beyond hypocritical.

Besides, she had checked in to make sure he wasn't being pressured or pushed around earlier, and the whole 'potential orgy' situation had devolved down into hugs and cuddles pretty quickly, no matter HOW salacious Temptation tried to make things seem today.

Her brother ate another fork full of eggs, then blinked. "Oh, and we all got invited over for Thanksgiving dinner today. So uh… Just so everyone knows."

That caught EVERYONE a bit off guard.

Grace was the first to catch up. "Invited by who?"

John shrugged. "Hen Jessica and Duckling John. Fun fact: The duck version of me doesn't have his own Pocket, but he DOES have local Administration credentials to the Simulation. It's able to fake what I can do pretty well, to a certain extent."

What? "You mean the ducks living over in that Sunnydale simulation? The one where our [[Home]] is taking over and Doe Park is being emulated?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know that OUR travel oddity makes it hard to track time, but in their simulation zone? Today or tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Not… Not entirely sure which, actually, since both their planet and THIS planet have odd orbital patterns and years are measured oddly and all the random background modifications to the Simulation keeps shifting how time is calculated, but still."

Huh. "Do they still have turkey? Since it's Thanksgiving, I mean."

Her brother's eyes flickered as his System fed him data. "Mostly smoked ham actually. Especially in Sunnydale, since evil Turkeys are a real issue over there. Hey, did you know that KFC is still a think in Duck Dynasty?"

That got Temptation to cough, still half eating her bacon! "Wait, WHAT!?"

He gave a tired chuckle. "Yeah, it stands for 'Kentucky Fried Corn' here. It's a pretty popular tradition to order it around Christmas in some nations. For the record, even though America and Kentucky exist in this Simulation, they are all still RUN by chinese ducks. Because… Well, I honestly don't know why."

Probably because the original theme of 'Duck Dynasty' was acting as a core fundamental identity for this entire place. "What about duck related food? Like duck a l'orange?"

John shrugged. "Snuff films, apparently. That dish shows up as part of the plot in the local Hannable Lector adaptation of 'Silence of the Geese', from what I understand."

That was… More than a bit messed up. "So, our duck versions want us over for Thanksgiving then?"

John wiggled his hand. "Sort of? Obviously MY alternate self loves the idea, but YOUR Hen variant is concerned that the two of us brothers might merge or whatever. We've told her that it would be fine and all, and just in case I shifted the automatic 'combine similar Bodies' option over to manual assimilation so it won't happen accidentally, but you know what kind of worry wart you can be."

She narrowed her eyes. "Excuse you?"

He blinked… And flinched! "I mean, what kind of a worry wart SHE can be! Not that YOU… I mean,,, My, Jessica-Big-Sister-Dearest-Sister, these waffles are just AMAZING!"

Her expression didn't shift. "Thank you, I ordered them myself."

John kept stuffing his mouth. "Well, they are just amashing amf eye cahhn't belieeef howsh…"

Sigh. "Stop talking with your mouth full… And yes, we can join them for Thanksgiving dinner."

Her brother grinned with bulging cheeks as he gave her a thumbs up!

Humph. "And I'm sure the duck version of myself will LOVE to hear about how overprotective she is."

John froze in horror! "MMMPHM MMRM MMMUMP!?"

Heh. "Stop talking with your mouth full."

Temptation was sitting with joy in her heart and sparkles in her eyes! "So dominating! See Grace? A proper lady knows how to be refined AND how to step on others!"

Her sister huffed as she refilled John's drink. "Don't bring your kinks into this. John, both of us would love to go with you to visit your simulation duck family. I'm sure we will have a lovely time."

Jessica felt her mind snap back from wonderful leather-full memories of stockings and 'knowing her place'. "Should we bring an appetizer or something?"

John swallowed down his breakfast and finished it down with the fresh tea, giving his angel a smile. "Yeah, and it won't cost much… Apparently stale bread is a traditional housewarming or visiting gift."

Because of course it is. "Let's stop back at that cafe before anything else… I want another cup of coffee before we start running around."

This one would be FULLY quack-inated. She needed something to wake her up this time.

~~~Pocket System~~~

"Quack! Quack quack quack, quack quack!"

John grinned at his brother from another flutter. "Thanks! I'm just glad you all decided to invite us."

Duck John ('D-John' sounded like a mustard, so that nickname was out) was a pretty happenin quackenin bird when you got to know him!

Plus? He had ALSO created an entire army of Iron Golems, most of which were female ducks with attitude, and had his own tiny version of Grace and Temptation: Duck style!

Though it was less 'Many species' and more 'Ducks with hats and outfits'. Duck Grace had a tiny halo and was a white American Pekin, while Duck Temptation was a beautiful solid black Velvet Scoter… They both were talking to their non-duck versions of themselves.

Anyway, meeting other versions of himself was kind of cool. "Hey, uh… Between you and me, are you handling this whole puberty thing better than I am?"

His avian companion slumped and began gesturing with his wing. "Quack. Quack quack quack… Quaaaaack."

Sigh. "Yeah, I know right? Just light 'petting' makes me feel like my heart is going to freak out of my chest. At least Temptation mostly just teases verbally, if she honestly tried to pressure me to go further than I am comfortable with I probably couldn't say no to her."

Both Johns sat in solidarity as they watched their sisters getting along like a house on fire. "Quack." "Yeah, I'm glad they are both finding common ground." "Quack QUACK quack quack." "No, mine used to do that too… Wait, you call it the 'Undernest' instead of the 'Underpark' here?" "Quack." "Huh. Sounds more cozy." "Quack. Quack quack QUACK quack quack." "Ah."

Yeah uh… That was more than a bit TOO cozy. "So what is up with the evil geese thing?"

Small John shrugged his feathered shoulders. Which probably shouldn't be possible. "Quack."

He blinked. "Wait, they are ALL assholes!?"

Duck John nodded solemnly. "Quack. Quack quack quack 'Quack Quack Quack'?"

Oops. "THAT'S the game that merged with the local simulation?"

Another nod. "Quack."

Shit. 'Untitled Goose Game' might have had a cult fan following, but it did NOT portray the birds as kind and easy going creatures. "Sorry about that."

The smaller John shrugged it off. "Quack. Quack quack, quack?" He held up a wooden stake.

Fair point. "I guess most things die with a bit of heart stabbing. Anyway, how's the park in general doing? Is the Magic Pit giving you any issues, since this simulation is sort of devouring the entire server?"

The unconcerned duck shook his head. Cool. "Then I'll just… Let it be for now. But if there is an issue or anything, you'll tell us right? Even without the Pocket System, our [[Home]] will let me know if you try to contact me."

"Quack."

Cool.

John hesitated… But something felt like he needed to mention this now. That time was a bit more limited in this Realm than he expected. "Also, here."

The additional feature was unlocked in Duck John's interface. "Don't enable it here and now, not when our sisters are so close by… But uh, that is an optional 'bonus benefit' for outsiders coming to visit your simulation in the future."

That drew the duckling's attention. "Quack?"

Checking for listeners, John nodded. "It isn't QUITE immortality, but it fakes it pretty well. I've set this thing up so that, after you enable it, every user who connects will have the latest scan of their mind run autonomously after they log off."

He nodded at the animal's interest. "If they log back in later, their memories will sync up. Sure, it can be abused to 'do more' at the same time, but most importantly? If they NEVER log back in, their loved ones and family can find a version of them living here. Well, not here, but on a number of simulated planets to prevent overcrowding or whatever, but you get the idea."

His duckle-ganger tapped a wing to his bill. "Quack quack quack quack?"

John shrugged. "Well, if they DO show up, they will just merge with their memories again. Sure, they will still remember being trapped or shifted through time or whatever, but they will ALSO remember the time spent here in the simulation where their loved ones can find them. Not only will it help them recover and readjust to society, but I hope it will prevent a lot of heartbreak later on."

True, if they actually die and Souls work like they should here, they would pass on to the local variant of the afterlife and all that while the digital avatar lives on… But honestly, John himself liked the idea of some part of himself being able to take care of his loved ones even when it was impossible to do so directly.

Glancing at the bustling room, Duck John gave a quiet nod. "Quack."

Good. That itch to 'do something' also let up a bit, even if he still felt something pushing him to move on already.

Jessica clapped her hands at the edge of the room! "Everyone wash up, dinner's just about ready!"

"Wahoo!" "Quack!" "Sister, you shouldn't be so loud…" "Quack!" "Yeah, what my duck sis said!" "Quack?" "No, my other duck sister, the one that looks sort of like me." "Quack."

Oooh! "You guys got sweet potato pie, right? I used to love pumpkin pie but something about sweet potato has really grown on me since I tried it back in Phineas and Ferb's world."

A quick wing up! "Quack."

Sweet! "I call dibs on a slice of sweet potato pie!"

Jessica huffed. "AFTER the main course. Now go wash up and don't just throw away your body and Craft a new one, you hear?"

Aww… "Fine…" At least the duck bathrooms were awesome since most of them were just huge bird baths. Made washing up a snap!

~~~Pocket System~~~

Jessica leaned back, a bit TOO full. "I never expected stuffing to taste that amazing!"

Her bird twin quacked a laugh before nudging her side. "Quack?"

Oh dear goodness no! "I'm FULL, thank you very much! Honestly I expected this to be mostly a vegetarian affair, even though you did tell my bro that there would be ham here."

The older duck tilted her head. "Quack quack quack. Quack?"

Nope. "I had no CLUE you guys were omnivores. It just never came up before… I mean, I guess I knew ducks could eat fish and stuff? So maybe I just never sat down and thought it all through."

The Hen twin made a sort of humming sound, then offered a suggestion. "Quack quack… Quack?"

Oh! "A crawfish boil!? Wait, you guys have cajun food!? Oh yeah, I NEED those recipes! We might have to move on soon, but I KNOW my brother will love a good crawfish boil… Probably. I better test how well he handles spicy food, since most recipes can be a bit much for someone unprepared for the heat."

The bird pointed at avian John, busy talking to his human counterpart. "Quack, quack quack quack."

Jessica shook her head. "Nah, we can't rely on that. Not only is your John a different species with different tastes than mine, but my brother has swapped bodies a FEW times now and we probably need to make sure his favorite foods don't shift with each new tongue anyway."

The duck gave a serious nod, in agreement.

Leaning back in her chair, she couldn't help but wonder… "So how much of a 'me' are you anyway? Do you have my memories? Or like… My memories, after being ducked over?"

The avian Mallard In Black agent held up her own tiny neuralyzer, twirling it with her wing as her other pushed some sweet black sunglasses over her eyes. "Quack."

Damn girl! "That's pretty sweet, I won't lie." Speaking of which… "Does that mean you also have a duck version of Agent T… One who keeps forgetting to file your paperwork too?"

The bird gave a frustrated nod. "Quack."

What a pain. "Fuck Agent T, he's a prick." Almost got flagged because of him!

Her smaller self returned the feeling. "Quack quack quack."

Relaxing into her seat, everything felt warm and safe and full and… Fuck it. "Fine, just a little more stuffing. BUT ONLY A LITTLE! And this will be the LAST second serving!"

Oi, don't you smirk like that! Ducks CAN'T smirk, damn it!

Stupid birds and their amazing bread related cookery.