Issue 1 Downtime

Trev sat slumped against a tree as far away from everything as he could manage on the Quad. At the very least, he hoped to avoid further run-ins with Sam and Nailah after that horrendous encounter. The day was fading quickly to twilight, and he sat drunk out of his mind, face and eyes red from crying, a small brown paper bag filled with a bottle of something strong-smelling clutched in his right hand.

"God you're a fucking idiot," he slurred to himself before taking another swig and grimacing.

Janice was a little surprised to come across him on her walk.

"Er... let me guess, you want to be left alone?"

"What?" he slurred, jumping slightly a the sound of another voice. "I wasn't talking to you! Goshimshorry," he said.

"Shit...wher..who are you?"

"I'm Janice. You must be pretty new, I haven't seen you around."

"I'm...trev," he said, interrupted by a hiccup. "Jussht got here a week or two ago...I think. You're nice," he flashed her a dumb smile.

"Is this like a long distance girlfriend thing that happened here?"

"N...no," he hesitated, his drunken mind struggling with the question and how to respond to it.

"I uh...well. It'sh a long story, you shee..."

"Guess it would be, if it's got you this down."

"I had sex with a stripper who could shapeshift," he slurred far too honestly. "I ran into the woman she was changed into, and she found out. Because of a damn telleppepath,"

He took a long pull from the bottle, "I didn't know she was a stripper," he slurred.

"Uhm... okay. That's... that's pretty complicated, right there."

Trev nodded, "Yep. You can say that again."

"Yep. You can say that again," he...repeated for himself apparently?

"I think that's actually more complicated than you're allowed to get your first year here," she joked weakly.

"Yes. And SHE met me on my first night here! HOW was *I* supposed to know she was a stripper. And she'd look like my German teacher. I...mean...that's just shurreal right?" he rambled on.

"See, we're going to have to downgrade that to you having gotten a bit drunk and said something unfortunate to a girl."

"I'm good at that."

He was silent for a moment and then he burped.

"Fuck, I'm doing that right now. God I'm a fuckup."

"Yeah, so we're just going to say that's the worst thing you've done because all this business with strippers and teachers is... ah... a little out there."

"yesh," he said. "You're pretty," he said, clearly unable to filter right now.

"Where are you from?"

"I'm ah... from around here, actually."

"I'm from Chicago," he said, before slumping over and seeming to nod off for a second.

"Well, I... I don't know what they do in Chicago, but here in London it's maybe not a good idea to pass out in a public place?"

"What?" he said, his head snapping up--and slamming into the tree trunk behind him. "Aw fuck, ow," he said.

She winced.

"Okay, just... just be careful there..."

"I...yeah. Can...I just go crawl under a rock and die now?" he asked, the pain perhaps sobering him somewhat.

"Sorry...this...is probably the most awkward introduction ever. I'm--" Trev stopped suddenly, finding that the world was spinning...badly...and it was not making him feel good.

"You look like you're feeling pretty sick. Maybe we should get you to the loo?"

"That...yeah. Yeah," he said, unsteadily rising, and spilling his booze all over himself in the process. "Where the hell is the...loo?"

"Well you know, the lavatory. There's one not far from here."

"Really? That's go--" Trev was cut off as he pitched over and vomited. EVERYWHERE.

Janice blinked, dripping.

"...or you could decide not to wait."

There was a snort from the bushes and a large wolf padded out. Slowly it changed into Murphy in her shifting clothes.

"Smells," Murphy complains.

"Oh god..I'm so sorry...hi...uh... Wolf girl....my best friend is a werewo--HHUUUUUURGH," he threw up. Again.

Janice was looking a bit queasy herself at the spectacle.

"...are you sure your mutant power isn't vomit based? Because I really didn't think you could fit that much inside you."

Murphy tears off a piece of her sleeve and crouches to hand it to Trev, "Need water."

"No...I'm just loud," he said shakily. "And...I just drank. way. way too much...yeah...water...does your sleeve have water?" he asked wondering why this werewolf was tearing up her shirt for him.

"Wipe your mouth off," Murphy says, "Smells."

"But won't that ruin your shirt?" Trev asked, confused, and oblivious to the fact that Murph had just ripped it out of her sleeve. It also didn't stop him from using it imediately, and without waiting for her to reply.

"Th...thank you," he said, wobbily standing up and trying to move away from the impressive puddle he'd left. "I'm Trev."

"Murphy."

"There must be a lot of werewolves here. My friends Tala and Stephanie. And you. And Mr. Davis. Are you a werewolf too Janice?"

Trev was rambling on happily the vomiting already almost forgotten.

"Yes."

"Er, well, not really?" She said, raising an eyebrow at Murphy.

"Oh. Sho you're like Tala...not quite a werewolf, but can still get all bitey?" he asked.

"Where am we," he asked and then laughed uproariously "ARE we. God I have a few drinks, and my English goes to shit!". He laughed.

I guess most of a small bottle of liquor counts as a few drinks?