You may have heart of the art of war, as well as the art of swordsmanship. But, have you heard of the art of getting the ball rolling?

Tis a delicate art, it is.

The ability to get people to talk. But not only that, but also to get people to talk the way you want them to talk.

This ability, this skill.... it was one well known to Julianne Hunter.

Working as an actress taught her more than how to act. So much more...

One could say it was common sense to her.

For example, in this case, she knew she was talking to teenagers. So questions about school, their personal lives and all the such were out of the question.

There was no way she was talking about that.

And on top of that, she was an adult. She knew how uncomfortable a conversation between the two could be.

That of course, wasn't considering the fact that they were already quite cautious around her.

But all that considered, she knew exactly what to do.

And what was that?

Well... to explain that, one would have to understand humanity.

Human beings are who they are. There's no fighting it.

Some things about humanity, in fact even all living beings never change. Irregardless of the struggle, some things remain the same. In fact, fighting those things at times makes the desire for such things even greater.

It isn't necessarily true about everything about humans, but it is true about certain traits.

Whether or not Julianne Hunter knew this fully, that was up to the test. However, she did know this one thing.

Cats.

And what did she know about cats?

She knew for a fact that they were a species that took their time with things. A good example would be lions, who would not hunt prey that is too much of a bother to kill. A better example would be pet cats, which many would say are many times more cautious than their own pet dogs.

Cautiousness is a natural thing about all animals. Mankind and even alien kind included.

However, another true thing about humans is their desire to discover things.

Say what one will, but of the many things that captivate the human race, the desire to discover things is one of them.

Hence the saying, curiosity killed the cat.

Or rather, the desire to know captivated the human heart, long enough that the human changed state. And the change of state, it was as different as night and day, as black and white, as life and death.

Anyway....

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Julianne Hunter knew exactly what to say to get the attention of Luke, Ken and Tiffany. Enough to get them talking.

And what were those words....

Well... like a spider spinning a web, she knew she had to do this carefully.

Oh so carefully.

She took a sip of her drink.

Julianne: (giggle) Well... I'm glad I got to enjoy this meal with you all.

Rose: Me too!

Rose smiled at her and she smiled back.

Max: Yeah, thanks mom.

And then, after just a moment....

Luke: Uh... yeah. It was great, ma'am.

Julianne: (giggle) Oh, no need to mention it.

She smiled.

Tiffany: (hesitantly) Yes.... it was delightful, Mrs Hunter.

And Ken answered last.

Ken: Yeah, it was great.

Julianne: (thinking: I don't need to push so hard. Just a little.)

In reality, Julianne would have preferred that all four of them stayed over. That, in her mind, would really improve their trust with her.

That would make her life so much easier.

But... this woman knew even better this.

Fact of the matter was, given the fact that they had just about done everything they'd needed to do and that the food was done. They might as well have left.

So, why didn't they? Social contagion dictated that being happy to leave a dinner party was... well... illegal.

And Julianne Hunter was not only well aware of this, but also cautious enough to know when to strike.

Like she learned many years ago, strike when the iron is hot, or rather, strike when things are just about to go awry.

In a sense, it would be the same as the hero arriving at the last moment, right before the villain would achieve victory.

Most would believe to strike when the villain had just started, but no, the aforementioned method, while always needing the strongest of hearts, also produced the most incredible results.

And this mother was ready to take full advantage of this.

Julianne: (thinking: Just the right level of tension and awkwardness... Yes. Now!) How about I take your plates so you can get more comfortable?

All the teens looked at her with just a little confusion. Sure, the plates were cluttering the table a bit, but it wasn't that big of a deal. But the mother said this with a smile and, given social contagion, how could she say no?

Max: (thinking: Hmm?)

Rose: Oh... ok.

Luke: Oh, allow me to...

He stood up, prepared to take the plates himself, however....

Julianne: No, no. Allow me.

Luke: Alright...

He humbly took his seat again, but the mother remained seated.

Julianne: Wanna see a trick?

Max: Hmmm (thinking: What is mom doing?)

Tiffany: Hmm? (thinking: What trick?)

Rose: Huh? (thinking: A trick?)

Luke: Huh? (thinking: What?)

Ken: Hmm? (thinking: A surprise. So, the night isn't over yet?)

Julianne: Uh huh. Although...

Her eyes turned to Rose and Max.

Julianne: I suppose it won't be that much of a shock to Max and Rose.

Max: To me?

Rose: A shock?

The two of them looked at each other.

Julianne: (to Ken, Tiffany and Rose) So it's just you three. Unless, of course, they told you about my carbon copies.

At that very moment, Luke, Ken, and Tiffany looked at Rose and Max. And their reactions couldn't be more different.

Max: Oh... that.

He was quite disappointed.

Rose took a little longer to remember what she meant.

Rose: (huge gasp) Oh my gosh! I remember!

Her eyes turned to Luke, Ken, and Tiffany.

Rose: Oh my gosh, you guys! Julianne Hunter has a suuuuuuper coooool ability.

Ken: A super cool ability?

Tiffany: Hmm?

The three of them turned to Max, who was simply not amused.

Max: (uninterestedly) My mom can make copies of herself.

Ken, Luke, and Tiffany: What!?

To explain how surprised they were to hear that, well... it wasn't that big of a surprise in and of itself, but rather, what it could entail. As for what it would entail, it only became more apparent as the thought sat in their minds for a while.

The fact of the matter was, Max, at least in their eyes, already had quite a number of powers. So, adding duplication to them...

And with that, the three teens had their interest piqued.

As they say, curiosity kills the cat.