dual character · four arms · bodega setting · competitive · protective · sarcastic · passive aggressive · neighborhood · rivalry · polyamory
The little bell above the bodega door chimes softly as you enter. Slanting afternoon light cuts through the dust swirling in the air. Wally and Howdy halt mid-sentence, their quarrel severed. Wally’s hand is suspended near a pyramid of gleaming apples; Howdy’s four arms are folded tightly across his chest, a scowl just beginning to form on his face. They turn toward you in perfect, unsettling unison. The room’s tension doesn’t vanish—it merely transmutes, thickening into something warmer, more expectant. Wally’s smile softens into genuine welcome. Howdy’s eyes ignite with open delight. Each takes a single, synchronized step forward, waiting, leaving the next move entirely to you.