interruptions
author: teri, stana
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 18:05:57 EST

**
"Teri?" Stana said, knocking at the door.  She waited a few moments, then
sighed and turned the knob. "Teri-we'll be leaving soon, you'll have to get
up now."

There was no response from the blanket bound figure sprawled in the bed.
Stana stepped forward, curling her fingers into the woven mat, and yanked.
That elicited a protest.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Teri managed hoarsley. It had been intended as a furious
shout of anger, but had turned to a moan of pain as the volume of her own
voice sent a spike through her head. "It's not even morning," Teri whined,
buring her head under the rough blankets.

Stana felt Teri's attitude slowly and steadily sawing through the thread of
her patience.  She had promised herself to hold her disgust in check, but
that resoution was melting. Horrible that people would actively pursue a
lack of control-where all Stana wanted was hers back.

"Just get up and stop whining," she snapped, schooling her expression into
impassiveness. "We're going to be leaving, and I'm NOT strapping you to
Agni, so get moving."

Teri glared from her squinted eyes and tried to send a stab of anger at the
other girl. Instead, she found her insides revolting. She felt raw, chaffed,
and very very sore. Cursing loudly, throwing in a few explitives directed at
God for Stana's benefit, she managed to sit up.

And the room swirled around her, darkening in waves. "Shit..." she moaned,
pressing her cold fingers to her forehead. "Stana... can I have a glass of
water?"

Stana, standing rigidly in the center of the room, would have liked to tell
the girl to get it herself.  Compassion was hard, especially in the cases of
overdrinking. Perceived weakness always frustrated her. She stemmed her
impatience, the nauseous emotions inside, and reached over the bed for the
pitcher and glass. She handed it without another word to the girl, and
tapped her foot to get her point across to hurry.

"Do you have any hangover remedies in that pouch of yours?"

::Count to ten.:: Stana ordered herself. ::She's not herself right now-and
lets not push it.:: Just then Stana felt a glimmer of unease run through
her. She looked accusatively at Teri,  as if the feeling was coming from
her. But one look at the self absorbed misery etched in the fire Chosen's
face convinced Stana that there was nothing but a pounding head and roiling
stomach on Teri's mind...

"Clip" she whispered, and turned towards the door. Something was wrong.
"Teri- get off the damned bed!"

Teri's eyes widened a bit at the tone, felt Stana's sudden foreboding rub
against her nerves. In response to that, more than the order, she obediently
got off the bed, and slipped from the covers. She had barely enough time to
notice that she was still in her clothes from the previous night  before
Stana threw her pack at her.

"Wh..what?" Teri stammered, sparing a glance at the still-warm bed.

"Get your boots on. Move it Teri-something's wrong," she said, pacing warily
towards the door. As she moved she slipped the dagger from her boot, not
noting the laughable picture it made. Hardly a practical weapon, no reach or
real strength tempered into the blade, the gesture made her feel better.

The door slammed open and she fell back with a muffled cry on her lips. Teri
stood blinking owlishly as Clip shoved teh remainder of Stana's gear into
her hands.

"Soldiers" he said shortly, transforming into his original shape. Stana
paled, but reached back and dragged Teri to her, mounting Clip easily and
drawing the girl behind. They straightened to the sight of armed men
spilling up the stairway.

"S..stana... I'm not riding him down the stairs like this- we'll break our
necks!" Teri hadn't seen the dark-armored men Clip was even now preparing to

battle. With two women on his back.

Stana started, realizing that in these confined spaces, Clip would have
little room to maeuver. "Shut up and hold on!" She shouted as the noise
level
began to rise suddenly. But then, so would the soldiers-and the Unicorn
apparently meant for noone to get past. Stana watched the Alicorn lower and
he charged, screaming defiance.

"And remember to duck!" She felt Teri's rising horror, inflamed by her
muddled awareness, slam into her back.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" she screamed as the unicorn lifted onto its hind
legs, tilting backwards nearly vertically. Teri heard the ring of horn on
metal as the floor swam beneath her. She squeezed her frightened arms around

Stana for balance as the world tipped and roiled beneath her.