fandomtownies | The Preserve, Monday Afternoon

Topher woke up on the ground of the preserve, having slept through the day before. He reached up to touch his face, finding the skin still leathery, and recoiled sharply. His face was… sticky. And though on another occasion it could have been from cheese or chocolate or whatever he’d been casually snacking on the night before, today there was no question about it. It was blood.

He forced himself to think logically about what had happened, but found his mind murky. He’d… changed. Hurt animals. Hurt people. And not in an abstract, taunting sort of way, the way he made fun of people. Actively, with fists and claws and physical strength. The sensation of having power for once… Topher could still feel how euphoric it had been. In his ordinary life, he wasn’t strong, not conventionally. He couldn’t – couldn’t fight. And yes, he was brilliant, but he’d never had the experience of using his brain to hurt someone before. At least, apart from snide remarks.

Now he knew how it would feel afterward. Sick, and – for all that he’d been strong – surprisingly powerless. And then there was something unfamiliar.

Guilt.

With that compounded with the physical soreness, it took Topher a long time to get off of the ground and begin limping back to the dorms.

[[Open if anyone happens to be out there, though you may be subjected to raging SP while I pack up boxes. Sigh.]]