I Am a Scientist

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Listen, if you want to bite the hand that's trying to help you, go for it. I'm still going to help," she says with a growl as she turns towards the door.

[Null]

The boy sighed.

"Look. A week ago, you were fighting to keep me from having my name. Can you blame me if your sudden altruism rings...hollow?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

Tereza grabs the door frame, maybe a little harder than she means to. "I was fighting to protect the other half of you then. He was scared and I offered to help him. Let's be honest, if we'd left it to just the two of you, it wouldn't have been a contest, you'd have steamrolled him. I didn't *like* doing that, I didn't like the implications, but I'll be damned if I'm not going to do my best when I'm protecting someone. As far as I'm concerned, you can call yourself whatever you like. You want to call yourself Will? Go for it."

[Null]

"Then find a new name for him. He's the one who doesn't think he's a person. Call him Smileywumps Fluffles if you want; you're the proud owner of a sycophant now."

[Tereza Rozanov]

Tereza growls slightly, "I swear to god, you just can't help but be an asshole, can you?"

[Null]

The boy sighed again.

"I'm not trying to be. It's been a rough 24 hours.

I should be home with my feet up by now, with people who actually care about me. And, hey, you can keep the other one, so every universe gets what they want, and everyone's happy. Instead, I'm stuck here for sixteen more years. A little, tiny bit of snark might just be called for."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Your snark never stops though," Tereza says in frustration. "When you figure out what you want on your ID, let me know," she adds as she moves on out the door.

[Null]

"Tereza Rozanov's bitch seems somewhat appropriate," the boy muttered, going back to annoyed-ly typing on his console.