One Hellbeast Of A Hangover

[Tereza Rozanov]

Somewhere around sunrise, Tereza's change reverts, leaving her groggy and cranky. She's dressed in scrubs and curled up on the remains of the mattress on the bunk in the holding cell. Her wolf had taken out it's frustrations at being caged on the only destructible part of the cell, so there are bits of mattress fluff all over the cell. Her gaze is far away and contrary to her previous hyper-energy, she's not moving a lot.

[Samantha McManus]

After getting her own relatively minor injuries checked, Sam insisted on staying outside Tereza's cell. She'd dozed off a few times in her chair, but had also been awakened by the wolf's more noisy moments.

Coming to a bit after sunrise, she slowly wakes up, looking Tereza over with relief now that she's human again.

"...hey, there."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Hey," Tereza says, not looking in Sam's direction. "Did I hurt anyone?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Not... really? I mean, we're fine."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Good... good," Tereza says, moving slightly to stare at a different part of the cell. "Sorry about the dress."

[Samantha McManus]

"...you're the important part," she sighs.

"So ah... you're... a werewolf?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Maybe." She rolled over and faced the wall. "I don't know. I ended up some other place last night. I saw that woman who bit me. She called me 'daughter'."

[Samantha McManus]

"...okay, that's not creepy or anything."

"Just... seems to be what it adds up to. The full moon, the bite. I mean, you didn't tell me much about the fight and all."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"There wasn't much to tell. I mean, I assumed she was some feral shapeshifter gone a little off her rocker. She got her mouth around my arm and cracked my armor, but I didn't think she'd gotten her teeth into me."

[Samantha McManus]

"They ah... they think they might have to keep you in here a couple more nights."

"In case you change again."

"I don't know, maybe we could convince them to load up a Danger Room scenario for you or something."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"I can stay in here," she says with a sigh. "Probably safer that way."

[Samantha McManus]

"I just figured you'd be less... frustrated, that way." She gestures to the mattress.

[Tereza Rozanov]

"No sense in catering to the monster," she says. "It seems to like that."

[Samantha McManus]

"That's... fair," she allows.

"Look, no matter where they'll put you those nights, I'll be with you."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"I'm not exactly interesting company when I rip up mattresses. I guess this explains the strange dreams and the extra energy and probably a bunch of other things."

[Samantha McManus]

"Well I just... I want to be here for you."

"I guess you were kind of acting like a big puppy."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"There are worse things to be, I suppose. I'm kind of in among those 'worse things' now."

[Samantha McManus]

"Jesus, Tereza. If turning into something weird was a personal failing, would it be me getting on you about it?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

Tereza sits up, glaring at Sam, "This isn't just 'something weird', Sam. This is dangerous and worse, it appears to be infectious. You really think the headmistress is going to look at the risk and let me out even after the full moon?"

[Samantha McManus]

"There's got to be something we can do. What, do you want me just to give up on you?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

Tereza moves quickly, slamming her palm against the front of the cell. "I want you to be *safe*. If that means you need to give up on me, then yeah, I think that's what you should do." She looks Sam in the eye, "I can still hear it in there. It's still rattling around in my head and it wants out."

[Samantha McManus]

"How does that make you any different from other mutants? Damn it, we... we'd only just gotten a chance."

[Tereza Rozanov]

There's a soft thump as Tereza's head connects with the front of the cell. Her hair falls and obscures her face, "I... Damn it."

[Samantha McManus]

"Look, I'm not... I'm not some fragile thing. So just... let me decide what's worth the risk."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"I... I just don't want to end up a monster. And the monster... feels good."

[Samantha McManus]

"I know... what it's like to feel crazy sometimes."

"And if... if I can help you in any way, I want to."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Just... don't let me hurt anyone. No matter what that takes."

[Samantha McManus]

"I promise."

"We're none of us monsters, Tereza. I reached you last night."

[Tereza Rozanov]

Sam got the impression of a sad smirk behind all the hair, "Easy to say for the woman who isn't some creature out of a horror movie."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm the woman who was literally the thing that went bump in the night for my little sister."

"I'm the woman who's got some mad Celtic goddess complex rattling around in her head."

"I'm the woman who feels weapons around, feels when people die, or... when they should've."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"I guess having a werewolf girlfriend would just be part and parcel of the whole deal then."

[Samantha McManus]

"It's... not the weirdest part of the past few weeks," she smiles faintly.

"You're still you. I still like you. Even when you're howling at the moon."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Good to know. We have to catch the woman who did this before she does it to anyone else."

[Samantha McManus]

"We'll do it," she says, getting up and putting her hand where Tereza's is on the cell.

"And we're going to have a second date... to make up for the first, I hope."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"If I'm allowed out, we'll definitely do that," she says, curling her fingers against the cell.

[Samantha McManus]

"I'll do a damned Danger Room date with you if I have to. Or a bloody picnic in your cell. Something."

[Haley Crusek]

Haley hurried down the hallway towards the holding cells, a concerned frown on her face. First dimensional travel, now the rumor that her sparring partner had just turned into a werewolf. What next? She turned around the corner, and immediately regretted interrupting what seemed to be a somewhat personal moment. She hesitated, "I...sorry...didn't mean to interrupt," she fumbled a bit bashfully.

[Samantha McManus]

"Uhm... hey, Haley." She backs away from the cell awkwardly, a bit of a flush on her cheeks.

[Haley Crusek]

"I just wanted to come check on my sparring partner...I...uh......I...can come back later?" she said, a bit of a flush spreading on her own cheeks.

[Samantha McManus]

"It's... it's fine. Really."