Danger Room - You're a kitty!

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

((For Lillian)

Stephanie led Lillian into the Danger Room--which really didn't look especially dangerous when turned off. It was a large room with blank walls broken only by windows to an observation room.

It had been a relatively late night by the time they had gathered Lillian from the forest, gotten some food, picked up her belongings from the orphanage, drove all the way back to Maldon, and then got her settled in a room, so Steph had waited to relatively late in the morning to rouse Lillian and give her a grand tour, saving the best for last.

"So...this is the coolest thing we have on campus. It can...well it's easier to show you than explain," she smiled.

"Computer, load my nighttime forest program."

The room beeped in acknowledgement and the room melted away into a forest scene, a full moon poking through the canopy above, insects buzzing, and a warm summer breeze wafting around them.

"Welcome to the Danger Room," she smiled.

[Lillian Clearwater]

A sleepy eyed and cranky Lillian had followed Stephanie into the room. All she wanted was to sleep in for a little bit longer, but that wasn't happening apparently because her new friend insisted on showing her something. ' Maybe I can find some time in the afternoon for a little...cat nap,' Lillian thought as she stiffled a yawn, ignoring her left a sleeve as it slid down her shoulder. She didn't bother to correct it, and instead stepped forward to investigate the room.

Lillian's sleepy eyes widdened by what she saw, by what the room had simulated. "Oh, wow," she breathed. "I've never seen anything like this. It's amazing." Lillian was wide awake now and extremely curious as she reached out to touch a large elephant ear leaf. She smiled. The leaf was quite solid, and she could even feel a warm breeze blowing. She looked over to Stephanie. "Why do they call it the Danger Room?"

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Were I a cruel person, I'd show you the way a lot of people get shown when they ask that question," she smirked, "We use the room for training. Students, teachers, and X-Men alike. This scene here? Peaceful, quiet, and we're the only things in here. But you can create almost anything, including obstacle courses...Even intelligent enemies that try very hard to scare you, and beat the crap out of you."

"For training though, it's pretty much impossible, even if you are fighting, to get seriously injured in the room--the place simply won't let you. That's why we hold out power control classes here."

Stephanie took a seat on a moss-covered rock.

"That's actually why I took you here. I wanted to give you a head start on power control, so that your first class isn't quite so intimidating...do you want to tell me a little about what you already know about your powers?"

[Lillian Clearwater]

She immediately let go of the leaf she was holding and quickly backed away from the plant. "P-power control?! Here? Now?" Lillian looked around nervously. "I can't. I don't want to! Something awful may happen." Despite Stephanie's reassurance, Lillian was still skeptical about the room's abilities. And what was a 'X-Men" anyway ? She had too many questions. She had too many doubts. Lillian made a noise in the back of her throat resembling that of a kitten's mew, and looked back at Stephanie with wide eyes.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

Stephanie smiled calmly at Lillian, remaining seated. "Power control is designed to help you prevent something awful from happening. If you try and lock away the beast, it only wants to get out even more. Trust me. I tried it. It only means that when your other half comes out, it wants to stay out, and it wants to play. But if you know your wild side...you know what it wants and what it needs? Then you can work together, and be in control."

[Lillian Clearwater]

As much as she hated to admit it, Stephanie was right. Lillian nodded hesitantly and pulled her left arm sleeve back into place over her shoulder. "Transforming into a snow leopard was a first for me-I was just so-so-so angry!" She emphasized the word 'angry' with the stomp of her foot.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Anger usually brings it out. Any strong emotion can," she nodded.

"Did anything happen before you changed? Smaller things?"

[Lillian Clearwater]

"Yes," Lillian admited. "Though it's random-but there would be times when I sprouted ears or a tail. And i've been known to...sleep prowl. You know how some people sleep walk? Well-' She dug the toe of her right shoe into the dirt" - I do that..but as a housecat."

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Ah, multiple forms already," she nodded, taking mental notes.

"When I first started, I didn't really do anything but shift when my emotions got out of control, and it was really only one form...think big, scary werewolf that you'd see in a movie. As time went on, and I got s bit more comfortable, I found that I could control the changes--and I could control the form as well."

"Do you think you could change right now if you wanted to?"

[Lillian Clearwater]

Lillian could feel the goosebumps rising on her skin. "I don't....I dont' know. I don't think so ," she admitted, distracted once more with their surroundings.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Hey, don't be so nervous," she smiled reassuringly. "No wrong answers here. But why don't we try while we're here, all alone. No pressure, no worries about hurting anyone...just a nice relaxing night in the forest. And if you can't? That's fine too,“

[Lillian Clearwater]

She nodded and squeezed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to will some sort of change to happen. Nothing happened. She clentched her jaw and balled her fists at her sides. Still, nothing happened. She even held her breath and tried to focus on sprouting a pair of kitty ears. But that didn't work either....

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Easy there, Lillian. You're going to burst a blood vessel if you tense up that much," she smirked.

"Deep breaths. Relaaaaax," she said. "You have to relax before you change. There's plenty of time for tension during the change. It can be somewhat painful for some...always is for me, at least...but at that point, you're sort of using that to push forward. But starting? Clear head. Like this..."

Stephanie inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, closing her eyes. When they reopened, they were a feral yellow, and her features started to change, her muscles rippling beneath her skin, fur sprouting, and bones and joints popping into place. And a moment later, a six foot tall werewolf stood in Stephanie's place.

"Just relax, and use your imagination..." she said, before starting to shift back to her human form. "It really is almost like make-believe."

[Lillian Clearwater]

Lillian dropped the glare she had momentarily given Stephanie; she had made shifting look easy. "...make believe?...you're joking right?" she asked with skepticism. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to picture the transformation in her head. "This is idiocy!" Lillian huffed after several moments of just standing there. She opened her eyes and examined herself. To her disappointment, nothing seemed different. "See?!" But what she didn't see was that she was now sporting a lovely white pair of spotted kitty ears that ticked in annoyance. "Nothing. Nothing happened. If I think any harder my brain will explode! It already itches."

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

Stephanie smiled warmly, reached into her bag and retrieved a makeup compact, opened it and presented the mirror to Lillian to show her her ears

"Idiocy, eh? Looks like just needs a bit more refinement to me."

[Lillian Clearwater]

Her grey eyes were as wide as tea cup saucers as she stared at herself in Stephanie's compact mirror. Quickly she snatched said compact from her wolfish friend and squealed in delight. "I did it....I DID it! " She giggled, angling the mirror to get a better view. "Steph, look at me! Merow! I'ma cat!" She bounced on her toes, twirled on her heels and gently tugged on the velvety cat ears. It felt good to be in control of something, for once, even if it was such a small step.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

Steph grinned. "See? Told you so. We'll just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it. It will take time, you'll still have some mistakes, but we'll work through it. I ordered some underwear for you that should help mitigate at least a bit of the unintentional nudity. It's not the most comfortable or stylish stuff in the world but...it can help,"

[Lillian Clearwater]

Lillian's cheeks flushed prettily. "Thank you," she said, mildly embarrassed. "I suppose I should look into wearing skirts too. At least until I'm able to control my shifting...." She handed the compact back to Stephanie. "Come to think of it, I need a whole wardrobe. Are uniforms requires here or...?" She trailed off.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Skirts and dresses are a shifter's best friends," she smiled.

"Uniforms are only required for power control. As far as normal clothes, we have a little money set aside that we can use to get you a functional wardrobe. Don't expect $200 jeans...or whatever the equivalent in pounds would be, but we won't make you wear potato sacks, either"

[Lillian Clearwater]

She nodded in understanding. Lillian never really cared much for girly attire, she had worn way too many horribly lacy and over printed floral dresses over the years; the Matron of the orphanage insisted that they made her more lady like, and thus more presentable to possible adopters. The Matron had been horribly mistaken.

None the less, given her current situation, Lillian would have to learn to love them. "What do you mean when you say that uniforms are for power control?"

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Power control class. One of the classes you'll be signed up for. I teach it actually. It's a big group class right here in the Danger Room where you get to work on learning to controlling your abilities, and also sort of learn what everyone else on campus can do so you know what to do if someone else has a power accident. Everyone suits up in uniform for power control," she explained. "Part safety, part tradition almost. It's hard to get hurt in the Danger Room, but the suits provide a bit of protection from falls, scrapes, bruises; it'll shift with you too, that's a big one.

[Lillian Clearwater]

"...Power control....danger room is a classroom of sorts....got it..." Lillian murmured. She was only half paying attention to what Stephanie was saying and much too distracted with the fluttering blue butterfly that landed on a nearby elephant ear plant. Her pupils dilated, larger and larger, the closer she crept towards it until her large eyes were peering over the leaf just inches away from the unsuspecting butterfly.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

Stephanie smirked as the girl's attention went after the butterfly. "For a little while you and I will work one on one, and then we'll get you involved in class with everyone else."

[Lillian Clearwater]

Lillian frowned in disappointment when the butterfly fluttered away. She straightened herself upright and blinked a few times in quick succession to refocus on Stephanie. Smiling apologetically she shuffled back over to her. "Right! So...when do we start?"

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Right now if you like. There's spare training uniforms in the locker room," she smiled.

[Lillian Clearwater]

"Excellent!" She moved to take off running towards the locker room, but she stopped short after realizing she had no clue where it was. "it I'm a bit directionally challenged. Would you mind-" she trailed off wanting to be pointed to the right direction.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Computer, show exit," she smiled.

The exit to the room materialized in between some trees in the simulation. "Locker rooms are on the left as you head out."

[Lillian Clearwater]

"Thanks!" she said excitedly, momentarily leaving the room to change. To her surprise the spare uniform she found was more comfortable than it looked. She returned several minutes later, looking down at the suite in awe. "Wicked..."

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Yeah. They don't look too bad and they're way more comfortable than you'd think. Most importantly, they shift with you. Don't ask how. I made the mistake with my science geek boyfriend and the technical mumbo-jumbo will make your head spin."

Steph cracked her knuckles, "so. Ready to get started?"

[Lillian Clearwater]

Lillian inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly. "Ready," she spoke with more confidence than she felt. Breathe...just breathe...

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"Okay. Shifting 101..." she smiled.

"First lesson? Your body is way, way more durable than you think. It has to be. Shifting means that your bones, muscles, and organs are all moving around and repositioning. What this mean? You are going to be hungry all the time, but especially after shifting. You're also going to recover from most things pretty quickly--don't expect scrapes to last very long. This is good, because otherwise, shifting would probably really injure you."

"Second thing: no matter what you look like on the outside, you are always *you.*" she emphasized, pointing at Lily.

"You may have very different urges, and it might be harder to think clearly, but you are not suddenly a cat when you shift. If you practice enough, you *might* even be able to talk while shifted. It took me a long time, but I can...."

Stephanie grit her teeth, and forced herself to shift quickly into her hybrid form.

"I don't know if you can take on a form like this or not...but if you can, you can probably speak, if you practice enough."

Her voice was harsh, and a bit harder to understand clearly, but she still could speak.

[Lillian Clearwater]

Lillian's eyes widened with interest. Larger, larger, and larger they grew during Stephanie's introduction. There was so much to learn!

Instinctively she took a step back and hissed at Stephanie when she shifted. She frowned, "Sorry...I...startled me....still trying to get use to all this."

She licked her lips nervously and stepped forward. "Can you change into other things? Can I?"

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"It's okay...and yes, I can," she said, before shifting into a fully canine form--just a large brown wolf, and then back into human form.

"But, I can't talk as a wolf. Maybe someday, but right now, there's just...too much different with anatomy to make it possible to make human speech. Hybrid form though...it's possible."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Whether not not you could shift into a hybrid form, I'm not sure yet. People have power developments all their lives, and it can be hard to predict where your powers will go..."

[Lillian Clearwater]

"I see..." She took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking again.

"The form I was in when you found me-you know, the snow leopard- I was wondering if I can shift into a smaller version of that. I can't imagine being well liked if I'm terrorizing the corridors in such a beastly form."

Lillian shyly readjusted her glasses. Truth be told she was afraid of the leopard. "I don't know if its possible but if it is can you teach me?"

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

"People at this point are used to almost anything around here Lillian, so don't worry too much about what your form looks like--your classmate Mary Ann turns into a bear, and she wanders around campus sometimes."

Stephanie chewed her lip in thought, trying to think of a better way of describing how to do what was almost reflex to her.

"So...like I told you earlier, shifting...it really is almost like you're playing make believe. Imagine the form you want to take--every single detail--and let your body just relax and do the rest. Don't think about the change itself--just picture the end result. "

[Lillian Clearwater]

"Picture the end result. Picture the end result," she chanted aloud. With eyes squeezed shut she tried to imagine a smaller less intimidating version of her snow leopard form. She was giving herself a headache concentrating so hard and was about to give up until she felt the pain of her body rearranging itself.

She could feel her bones shrinking, bending, teeth elongating, furr sprouting out of her very pores! Hands turned into paws and whiskers shot out through her cheeks. It was an unpleasant and quick transformation but a successful one as she stood on all four of her kitty paws, looking up at Stephanie as a domesticated house cat. The meow she gave was intended to be a shriek of surprise.

Lillian then proceeded to run around in circles chasing the tip of her tail. Cats are easily amused.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

Steph grinned.

"See! Knew you could do it."

She let Lillian run around for a moment before trying to get her attention again.

"So. Try to shift back now," she said slowly. "Or, try to shift into a leopard. Sometimes it's easier to make smaller changes. Just focus on what you want to shift back into."

[Lillian Clearwater]

She stopped chasing her tail in order to give her the best 'you can't be serious look' a cat could possibly give.

Lillian decided to give it a go anyway.

Unlike the previous attempt, she was not successful in her shifting.

The only part of her that had changed was her head; a leopard's head on a domestic cat's body. She fell face first into the ground, her legs flailing in the air, and was unable to upright herself. The weight of her enlarged head was too much.

[Stephanie Kaltiera]

Steph rushed over to her, trying to hide a slight smirk. "Almost there! Focus on the rest of your body. Picture yourself stalking through the forest gracefully...you can do it."

[Lillian Clearwater]

Lillian was skeptical but what choice did she have? The state she was in currently was too ridiculous and beyond embarassing.

She tried again. This time she pictured herself prowling through a forest, her large paws leaving imprints in the dirt, her long tail sweeping the ground- side to side. She pictured her small body growing larger-

BUT...

The situation reversed itself and she was now stuck with the body of a snow leopard and the head of a domestic cat.

Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!