"So, you are called Perry," the prince said.

It wasn't a question, but Perry nodded. "Sure am."

"And, for some unfathomable reason, you look exactly like me." Again, not a question, but Perry shrugged and nodded. "Why is that?"

Perry scratched his head. "I don't mean to point out the obvious, but you yourself said the reason was 'unfathomable'. So how should I know?" 

The prince crossed his legs and tilted his head to the side, studying Perry. "There is the obvious reason as to why we have the same face. Same height. Same voice."

Perry swallowed, his stomach cramping. "That I'm some kind of clone. What was it that guy said? Mud doll?"

The prince shook his head, his jewelry twinkling in the faint light coming in from the hallway. "Clay doll. And no, I do not believe you are one of those."

"I mean, I know I'm not, but why do you think I'm not?" Perry couldn't help but wonder. 

"Blood concealments don't work on clay dolls. And they have the annoying tendency to go mad, terribly inconvenient. Which is why they are so rare," the prince explained.

"How long?"

"I beg your pardon?" 

Perry slid back down the wall and sat, stretching his legs out. "How long does it take for these clay dolls to go insane."

"It depends on the maker." The prince shrugged.

"Then how do you know I'm not one? Or that other thing." Perry snapped his fingers as he searched his exhausted brain for the words the Clan Leader What's-his-face had used. "Blood figure?"

"Blood puppet. You truly are ignorant. Or are you? Blood puppets are easier to make, and there is a simple test we can conduct to verify whether you are one." It was the prince's turn to snap his fingers. "Guards."

Perry jumped to his feet, ignoring the way his leg muscles protested the sudden movement. "Whoa, wait a minute."

"Yes, Your Highness?" One of the guards stood at attention in the doorway, his posture impeccable. 

"Do not come inside or bother us, no matter what you hear. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness." The guard bowed and stepped aside. 

"Wonderful." He turned to Perry and gestured for him to step closer. "Hold out your hand."

Perry cradled both hands against his chest protectively and pressed his back against the wall. "No. I don't trust you. No offense."

"Why would I be offended? I am not asking for your trust, merely your hand. Now, hold it out so we may get this test out of the way. I assure you, it is fairly harmless and painless." 

"You can assure me until the world ends, I still don't trust you, and I'm sure as hell not just going to hand over any part of me. Pun not intended." Perry shook his head, just to make sure he got his point across.

The prince sighed and stood up. Perry straightened his spine. "I do not wish to harm you and though you may not trust me, believe me when I say Clan Leader Venaric would be far less accommodating than I. In fact, he would possibly go out of his way to make this as unpleasant as possible."

Perry weighed the prince's words before responding. "Guess you don't like him all that much, huh?"

"Like has little to do with politics. Now, hold out your hand. Please." 

Before he could keep overthinking things, Perry held out his left hand. Without touching him and with ridiculous speed, the prince stretched out his own hand toward Perry's and he felt a slight sting on his index finger. 

Perry pulled back his hand only to see a small bead of blood welling on his finger. "Ouch. Motherfu—"

"As predicted, you are not a blood puppet. Now we may move on to the other tests."

"Wait, how does that tell you I'm not one of those things?" Perry couldn't help his curiosity. 

"Because if you were a blood puppet, that simple pinprick would have splattered you all over these walls. It would have been terribly messy," the prince said airily.

Perry blinked at the man who had the same face as his, not entirely sure how he should be feeling right about now. Did he laugh or did he cry? Both options seemed appropriate given the circumstances. 

"Now, what is the level of your magical skill?"

"My… none. Zero. Less than zero, if that's possible," Perry answered, wiping the bead of blood off on the hem of his sleeve. 

"It is not possible. You either have magical affinities, or you do not." The prince stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "So you assume your magical affinity is non-existent, is that correct?"

"I… guess? I've never done anything remotely magical."

"No? Are you certain?"

"Yes, positive."

"Have you ever noticed if plants grow faster in your presence?" The prince asked.

"No, I've successfully managed to kill 3 cactuses."

"Impressive. Have you ever found that mechanical devices or jewelry seem to come alive in your presence?"

"What? No. I don't think I've ever even seen real jewelry until I ended up in this place," Perry remarked, thinking back on the customers he'd served over the years.

The prince blinked at him. "What a sad existence you must lead."

"Thanks," Perry said dryly. "I do find myself crying to sleep every night because I don't have a diamond to call my own."

The prince shook one hand. "No, I meant gold or silver jewelry. But since you mention precious stones, do you find yourself compelled to collect them and hoard them in your abode?"

Every question baffled Perry more and more. "Are you asking if I'm a clone or a dragon? No, I don't hoard shiny stones."

The prince tapped one finger on his chin. "That rules out most of the simpler magics we are aware of. Though there are varying degrees of each of those. But if you do not have affinities for even the basic, the more complex elements would be beyond you."

"You know, I can't put my finger on how, but I feel like you just offended me right there," Perry pointed out. 

"Nonsense." The prince waved his words away. "Let us move on to more detailed and specific magic. Have you ever summoned a demon?"

Perry scoffed and shook his head helplessly. "No! I accidentally kill cactuses. I have a shitty job serving people who don't even bother getting my name right. Do you know how many times I've been called Jerry, or Terry? A lot, okay. A lot. I work 50 to 60 hours a week and barely pay my bills every month. I can assure you I do not have time to be trying to summon demons, okay?"

There was a pause. "Would you like to try?" The prince asked as if he were offering Perry tea. 

"No," Perry said slowly. "I don't want to summon a demon."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I can positively say I have no desire to summon a demon. Especially not to test one of your insane theories." Perry leaned his head back against the wall and exhaled loudly. 

The quiet between them stretched. Sounds from the party still going strong outside filtering in through the tiny window.

"My theories, while admittedly unorthodox, are not insane," the prince said quietly. Perry lowered his head and saw worry flicker over the prince's face. "You and I have the same face. The same hair." He hesitated and raised one hand to his own cheek. "The same eyes. If you are not a farce sent here to take my place in some convoluted plan and you are not an artificial creation, then you and I are of the same blood." The prince swallowed. "And if that is the case, then you and I are brothers. Twins, to be precise."

Confronted with a possible truth he didn't even want to consider, Perry looked away. "That's ridiculous."

Another pause. "I believe you know as well as I do that it is not." The prince inhaled deeply and stepped closer to Perry. "And if you are my twin, improbable as that may be, it stands to reason you have the same magical affinities I do. And I cannot summon a demon."

Perry glanced sharply at the prince, the implications of his words hitting him. "Have you actually tried to summon a demon?"

"Of course." The prince shrugged. "One must test the limits of one's magic."

Perry exhaled a helpless laugh and raked his fingers through his hair. "You're one of those people who just ignores the possible consequences of their actions and keeps on going no matter what, right?"

"Consequences?"

Perry chuckled dryly. "Right. First Prince and all that. Forgot that for a second there."

The prince seemed taken aback by that, but he quickly recovered his posture. "It is settled then. Let us attempt to summon a demon and test your magical affinities."

"What?! No, no! There's no way."

The prince ignored him and turned back to the cell door. "Guards? We shall need some supplies."

"Wait, wait! You can't possibly be serious."