The first interviews

You: Oh, that day the air was thicker to breathe and the mood more energizing than ever. You would have hated it, certainly.

H nods, eyes fixed on your Doll.

Ñ: Sounds awful. The mere subject "Family Studies" sounds awful.

You: There were worse, surely. I mean, hadn't been for that old man's insanity, I never would have met her.

2B waves her hand sarcastically.

H: On her lips I can see revolutions, are you sure I can't make out with her?

You: Away with your spells, you wench!

H: Pretty please?

You: NO. AWAY! AWAY!

H's attention quickly focuses on other things.

You: Anyway, inside the room was already LaVerne and her. Yes, the one and only.

2B giggles.

You: But now she had a different look. How could I describe it?

Long, tanned legs, painted nails and an abundant window of cleavage winking at you from the confines of her tight-fitting croptop. She looks nervous and uncomfortable as hell, but - much to your delight - the girl had clearly taken Mr. LaVerne's earlier criticism of her wardrobe to heart.

H: Nice.

Ñ: Why in second person?

2B: Even I don't know what made her dress like that. I have my theories but I'm not sure.

You: Nobody sat down, they were all talking to their Dolls or to each other. There was some crying and so on, but it was normal.

2B: Normal, yeah, sure.

You: But THIS GIRL (you point to 2B) was coping relatively well. With clothes and everything.

Ñ: The clothes were her protective barrier.

2B nods.

H: And what other creations did your classroom have?

Ñ: Did they have good taste?

You: Ahhh, I don't remember all of them, but they were mostly....

2B: Celebrities...

You: Fictional characters, from games, movies, series...

2B: Even some models that weren't quite human.

You: Like this mermaid, remember?

2B: Ah, yes! This guy...

You: Murray.

2B: Murray.

You: Yeah, I've always considered him the most likely to do a school shooting someday.

Ñ: I see.

H: Why a mermaid, of all creatures? Are you so eager to fail the course?

2B: Fetishes are powerful forces, (looks at you) You know about that, don't you?

You: More than you would like to.

Ñ: Well, what happened next?

H: See what I mean? This guy (referring to Ñ) is truly gifted, a genius. We all go off the deep end and he's the only one truly interested in learning something, in finishing a journey. I love you, [REDACTED].

Ñ: I love you too, [REDACTED].

You: We sat down and LaVerne told us that the interviews would be in alphabetical order, that the Dolls would go forward to be interviewed, and shit like that.

2B: We Dolls sat on the floor, I should clarify.

H: Romantic.

Ñ: (To H) Shut up.

You: (To 2B) Then you touched my leg…

2B pokes your leg with a finger, getting your attention.

"Hey," she whispers, "What's your last name again?"

"Wells. Nice to meet you."

"Hm."

You: And the teacher announced the first student. An elf, Lord of the Rings style. Voluptuous. She still looked a bit like the original Alex.

Ñ: An elf? Well, then they did have good taste, didn't they?

You: Mostly. I could say one not as bad as I expected.

H: Oh, is this going to get good? I'll make some mental popcorn.

You: Spare me some. The first thing he asked was her name. (To 2B) What was her name?

2B: I don't remember. Something with <<all>>. All, all, all... Allura!

"Could you state your name for the class, please?"

"He calls me 'Allura'," she replies, with thick British accent.

A ripple of laughter echoes throughout the room. Lmao, you think, until you remember that yours is literally a number and a letter.

"You don't like the name?"

She snorts. "If what I liked mattered, I doubt I'd be here."

"Would you prefer dismantlement?" he answers, clearly unperturbed.

"...No."

"Then you will answer my questions clearly, and without complaint." he snaps, moving on to his next query:

"What do you think of the alterations Mr. Amos has made to you?"

You notice that Alex is very attentive to her fantasy counterpart's response.

"I don't like them. Obviously."

You: And there we could practically see a weight leaving the TA's shoulders.

2B: And then everything fucked up.

"Ah, but is that really true?" Mr. LaVerne retorts, looking up from his laptop's screen with a smug smile on his face:

"This readout of your thought processes claims differently. Do you want to tell the class the real answer, or should I?"

At this, Allura's resolve visibly crumbles. She stares back at the teacher like a cornered animal, eyes flicking briefly to Alex (who wears a similar expression) before fixing the man with a look of disgust so powerful it could peel paint.

"F-Fine..." she stammers, taking a moment to steady her breath and direct her gaze squarely at the floor before answering:

"I... Don't mind it. I like elves, and fantasy. It could have been worse."

"And your breasts?" chides the teacher, "How do they suit you?"

Allura grits her teeth, fighting back tears. You see her mouth the word "perverts" with quivering lips.

"I l-like them..." she groans, head bowing in shame, "...I like them this size."

You: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, oh god, I love that part.

Everyone laughs except 2B.

You: Poor original Alex didn't even know where to hide.

2B: Hey, that's not funny.

You: And you were sighing at that point, were you resigning or something?

2B: I think so, I don't remember very well.

You: LaVerne asked if she had already been fucked and she replied, with a little bit of pride, 'No'.

H: Erotic.

2B: Pride? I saw more righteous indignation.

You: And when asked if she would consider fucking him, she answered that

"Never. Not sorry."

"Fine, that's all we need for today." Declares the teacher, dismissing her with a wave. He names the next student and you look at your subject.

2B seems to be thinking something. Undecipherable. She adjusts her headband and you wonder why, what is she adjusting her headband for at this exact moment.

2B: Can't I just adjust it in peace?

You: You wouldn't do it for no reason under those circumstances. Now everyone, let's suppose I describe the rest of the interviews here in an interesting and entertaining way, ok? Can you do that for me? Thank you, that's why I love you guys so much.

2B: You're going skip straight to that Harley Quinn interview, aren't you?

You: Oh dear, you know me so well.

2B: Let me begin. From the moment I saw her walk I knew there was something different about her....

She doesn't look fearful; in fact, if anything, she looks almost girlishly embarrassed.

You: None of the dolls had shown even a hint of approval, but she had a certain fondness for her name and character.

Ñ: Her name was Harley Quinn?

2B: Just Harley, I think.

You: She responded honestly to everything, even the discomfort her breasts and stares caused her.

2B: She was wearing almost nothing.

You: And she was a virgin. Then came the decisive question:

"Would you consider fucking him?"

For the first time since the interview began, the Doll looks at the teacher.

"...You can see what I'm thinking anyway?"

LaVerne nods.

"Then... Yes." she finally says, with eyes on her owner, and a shy, self-conscious smile on her lips.

"I guess I would."

You: Alex fucking died at this revelation. The murmurs exploded like never before.

2B: You fucking died, too.

You: I was more shocked tan angry, of course.

You mentally scream. 2B stares at the Doll in disbelief.

In your mental ocean, warships appear and shoot down all the other ships:

MOTHER. FUCKER.

THE FUCK????

How? HOW? HOOOOOOW?!?!?!?

You found yourself among the horde of guys who turned to see this Jam... Ja- Jamie? Was that his name?

The Harley returned to her cold seat and LaVerne raised his throat again, restoring the silence. You surprised your Doll looking at your clenched fists.

Hot water boiling in your bloodstream. The idea that there was someone superior to you, someone who had attracted his Meany enough for her to willingly agree to fuck. Willingly. Willingly.

In a word: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

You: I didn't pay attention to the rest of the interviews, to be honest.

2B: I didn't either. That one was the highlight, wasn't it?

You: Until your interview came along.

2B: Ughh, don't remind me....

You: Ah, James! That was his name.