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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/24239
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I have a scene where two identical people talking to each other. There is no difference in terms of their physical appearance. The only difference is that one is standing while the other one is leaning against a tree. What is the best way to refer to them in speech tags and narration?

I don't want them to refer to each other by names in the first lines of dialogue as it feels unnatural.

Here is an example:

> Two man stood next to a lake. **One** looked at the horizon while **the other one** leaned against a tree.  
> "I know," **said one of them**.  
> "Do you?"  
> "Sure, I saw it myself"  
> "You did not!"  
> **The one that was leaning against the tree** picked up the stone from the ground.

In this example it is not clear who started talking first. Would next example be better?

> Two man stood next to a lake. **First one** looked at the horizon while **the second one** leaned against a tree.  
> "I know," **first one said**.  
> "Do you?"  
> "Sure, I saw it myself"  
> "You did not!"  
> **The second one** picked up the stone from the ground.

Is there are better way to write this?

Original score: 2