A Lesson in Practicality

Prologue

It was normal, considering they were all living in the city and short on cash. They all answered the ad in search of roommates, the apartment was conveniently located for all of them as if the universe had handpicked them the perfect place.

Maybe it had.

All in their mid-twenties, they had stumbled upon an apartment for rent. Central location, decently priced, but the apartment housed four. That was how they all met. The day they moved in, Logan was the first there. Door unlocked and already moved into the smallest room tucked away in the back, Logan greeted Patton, the first to show up.

The third was Roman, entering introducing himself proudly. They went over designated areas and rooms, Roman needing extra space for some of the props he got to keep after plays he performed on the side and the others agreeing to share a little space in the decently sized living room as long as he kept his space.

Hours later, the sun had begun to set and pizza being ordered while the other two unpacked, Virgil showed up. He kept quiet and ducked into the last unclaimed room, second smallest only to Logan's. He hardly carried anything with him, all his materials fit in a backpack and duffle bag he had carried. They all sat quietly, introducing themselves while munching on pizza and garlic knots, getting to know their new roommates.

It had started with Patton a couple of weeks later.

Everyone was at work and Patton had been cleaning up the apartment. They all had day jobs that conflicted most of the time, but this particular afternoon left him alone in the slightly messy complex. Having nothing to do but wait for the others to get home for dinner, he spent part of his days to clean when he could and it was his turn. He never really minded, the others usually consolidated the messes to their rooms and he always had a knack for being able to clean rather quickly.

Which left Virgil confused as he watched two separate copies simultaneously cleaning the dishes in the kitchen and vacuuming the living room, looking back from one room to the other.

"Uhh... Pat?"

"Yeah, kiddo?" The Patton doing the dishes looked up at him and suddenly panicked, the one in the living room vacuuming not hearing over the noise. "Look, try not to freak out." He spoke, drying his hands on a towel and making his way over. "I can explain."

"Please... tell me you have a twin who has the same wardrobe as you."

"Not exactly."

"VIRGIL!" The other Patton shouted, turning off the vacuum. "You're... home early, how wonderful!" He made his way over and smiled, not hiding the panic from his face. "There's a perfectly understandable and not totally bizarre reason as to why there's two of me."

Virgil looked back and forth between the two, the one from doing the dishes shrugged as a response. "Uh... He's a burglar?" The second Patton shrugged, unsure.

The Patton from the kitchen put down the towel he dried his hands with. "That's not going to help, silly."

"Well I can't think of anything, can you?"

"I am you, so obviously not."

Virgil took a step back towards the front door, watching the man argue with his reflection.

"Maybe... could I?" The one who had come from the living room took a step towards the other and stretched out his hand to the one who had been doing dishes in the kitchen. The second one sighed and nodded, reaching out his hand.

In a flash of light, suddenly there was but one singular Patton in the room, and a very confused anxious Virgil. "What was that?!"

"Please don't tell the others but I... Can... duplicate myself?" Patton shrugged and smiled as if he hadn't just spouted nonsense.