Too many BR clones!
Natsuki stood in the brightly lit hallway of *The Orville*, clutching her stomach in discomfort. The bathing suit she’d borrowed from the ship's recreational locker was *way* too tight, and it felt like it was slowly swallowing her whole. Every time she moved, it seemed like it shrank even more.
"Ugh," she muttered, trying to pull at the fabric. "This is ridiculous."
She scanned the room, finally spotting Noah across the way, lounging near one of the observation windows. His sharp forest hazel eyes were absorbed in a datapad, but he looked up as soon as he heard her approaching.
"Hey, Natsuki!" Noah greeted her, his tone warm and relaxed. "What’s up?"
Before she could respond, she noticed something strange. Behind Noah, another version of him appeared, standing as casually as the first. Then another. And another. Within seconds, there were ten Noahs, all standing in a perfect line, identical in every way.
"What the—" Natsuki froze. "Did you—?"
Noah grinned and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "I may have asked Isaac for a little... assistance," he said with a wink. "You seemed to be struggling with that bathing suit, and I wanted to offer a little... backup."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow, unsure if she should be horrified or impressed. "You—what? You’ve got ten clones of yourself now?!"
"Yep!" one Noah chimed in, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "It’s a little thing we’ve been testing out. You know, efficiency and all that." Another Noah added, "I mean, ten of us are definitely more efficient than just one, right?"
Natsuki couldn’t decide whether she wanted to laugh or scream. "This is crazy, Noah! What am I supposed to do with *ten* of you?"
Before she could process the absurdity of the situation, one of the Noahs took a step forward and smirked. "Well, you could always... get some help with that bathing suit issue."
As if on cue, all the other Noahs clapped their hands and snapped their fingers, and one by one, they pulled out something unexpected: taxidermy.
"Wait, no!" Natsuki shouted, backing away, her cheeks burning even redder. "I don’t need *this* right now!"
But it was too late. One of the clones lunged forward with a small, taxidermied bird in hand and began gently tickling her side with it.
Natsuki squealed, trying to swat it away, but Noah's clone was persistent. "Oh, come on! It’s just a little fun!" The others laughed in unison, each with their own strange taxidermied creatures at the ready.
"N-Noah!" Natsuki protested, still laughing despite herself. "This is—*too much*!"
"No need to be shy," one Noah said, winking at her. "It’s just a little distraction." Another Noah added, "You looked a little uncomfortable, so we thought we’d make sure you smiled."
Natsuki, torn between annoyance and the fact that she was slowly losing her battle against the tickling, couldn’t help but let out a giggle. "You *guys* are insane."
Noah, the original one, watched with amusement from his spot across the room. "I told you you’d be smiling by the end of this," he said smugly.
The clones continued their tickling assault, each trying to outdo the other. Natsuki was caught in a whirlwind of feathers, fur, and laughter. Every time she tried to escape, another clone would swoop in and catch her off guard. It was like trying to avoid a swarm of playful, identical Noahs.
As the tickling finally slowed to a stop, Natsuki collapsed onto the floor in a heap, panting and laughing. "Okay, okay!" she gasped. "I get it! You win!"
One of the clones crouched down beside her, offering her a hand. "Feeling better now?" he asked, his grin playful.
"Definitely feeling something," Natsuki said, rolling her eyes but still smiling. She managed to sit up, catching her breath. "But next time, I want a *different* solution. Maybe no taxidermy?"
Noah's clones stood in a perfect line again, all smiling smugly in unison. "You got it," the real Noah said, his voice full of amusement. "But you have to admit, that was fun."
Natsuki looked up at him, still slightly out of breath. "You’re impossible."
"But you love me anyway," Noah said with a wink, his playful grin never fading.
She rolled her eyes again, but this time, she couldn’t stop the smile from creeping onto her lips. "You’re lucky you're cute."
With a laugh, Noah extended a hand to her. "Come on, let's get you out of that suit before the clones get any more... creative."
As Natsuki stood up, Noah's ten clones scattered off in various directions, leaving her with a sense of both amusement and confusion.
She had no idea how she was going to explain this one to the rest of the crew.
However -