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Seeing Ever had boosted Cee's mood. She strolled the hallways and grounds, not so subtley flashing her warm Starbuck's cup and appreciating the few and far between dirty looks (or even wistful sighs) she received on her way around. By the time she was bored of walking and the Pumpkin Spice was long finished, a joint half smoked had left her contemplative and edgy.

Standing outside with her feet on solid ground, the breeze helped chase the memory of the musty enclosed chamber, the bodies... that thing. She'd dramatically recounted it to her mission team, an animated retelling, but after the adrenaline had run dry she'd been left still shaky and paranoid. Ever's visit had snapped her back to normal: gifts always worked best for Cee. Now, later, she was getting back to an uncomfortable feeling of weakness.

Snap's weight on her shifted, a subtle reminder that this was not like her.

Cee's sense of decorum took her on autopilot. The brunette smirked, pulled out her phone, and texted Paige.

She didn't answer. Cee was bucking herself up, trying to snap out of it, so she went straight for the dorm. It was only a few minutes before the thump of her heels was outside of the door.

Concetta knocked once and didn't wait to hear anything before trying the knob.

"Wassup girl.." She waved her empty Starbucks cup and sat it on the first surface she found. "The novelty a my starbucks wore off onna jealous masses."

Cee came over and dropped next to Paige on the bed with a bounce. She leaned into the other woman with pursed-lipped glance, "Nice plate?"

"Hey I ain't complainin bout no free china, s**t." Cee shimmed back until she also occupied a small patch of wall beside Paige. She leaned over to steal the halfie from the 'ashtray'. There was a massive rattling shifting sound as she dug through her purse to find a lighter. Paige's was like.... over there.

"Ever came over and gave me that thiiiiiing.." She trilled the last word but it wasn't as teasing as it shoulda been. "An he's deeefinitely ******** someone and he won'tell me who it is. Some bulls**t."

A lighter was found and she murmured around the cigarette as she lit it, "Mmm mmm.." Head shaking, "Didn fit in my bag."

She took a drag and pushed her purse away, giving her room to shift and curl her legs sideways. Cee half-faced Paige and leaned on her.

"Yeah I mean.." Her shoulders rose and sagged. Cee's reluctance to talk was only momentary. The truth was she loved to talk about herself, even if it was moping. The selfish part of her loved the attention regardless of the therapeutic result.

"A ********.. thing in that hole was sniffin all up on my clothes and.." Another drag. "Then it's ******** got my face? You think that's permanent? What if its like a goddamn horror movie and the weird monster got my face which means I'll def die by its hand or some s**t?"

"WELL..." She always talked with her hands, emphatic waves and gestures to every word, "It was like this ********.. weird body with no features but then.." She actually shuddered.

"It like grabbed me and ripped my coat off and was like smellin it? But when it looked'it me again, it was my face. Like it changed inta me or something?" She'd told this all in her report. Had it happened to others?

Cee may have thought Paige a little bonkers, in a cute way, if she'd been told before but now that she'd seen the same thing she sort of gaped. "Ferreal?!"

The cigarette was already dead so she leaned across to mash it out again.

"Ok.." She kneeled close, sitting up. "We gotta check each other, c'mon."

She waved her arms, reaching for Paige's wrists and lifting them to pull her up. "We gotta have a thing. It'll be our thing, aight? We gotta.. do somethin or find somethin out about each other. So we can check if we feel ******** up about it."

When Paige sat up with her, she took her the woman's face in both of her tiny hands and stared at it intently.

Cee made an upset face at the tattoo thing. Would it have her tattoos? Would she even see it again? Could it change at will or was it stuck like that?

"I dunno girl.." She frowned. Her hands smoothed over Paige's cheeks like she was memorizing them. Cee examined her face seriously, even leaning in a bit to the other woman's neck, in a half-embrace, to inhale her scent. It seemed stupid but it made her feel better. She leaned back again, releasing Paige a bit.

"We gotta like.. get tattoos or somethin. New ones. And maybe a code phrase er somethin." Her hands had dropped back down to her knees.

She wondered if she could make similar arrangements with Ever, or if he'd think she was being foolish.

Cee gaped a moment, not knowing how to respond. It didn't dawn on her that she wouldn't be herself. She was mildly offended and strangely, hurt.

"No.. it's me! C'mon girl yer freakin me out again.." Her hands literally started to tremble subtley. "It's me.. They did a medical exam!"

How else could she convince her? It wasn't like they knew each other a long time or anything. She was surprised how quickly her stomach had dropped to think Paige may not trust her, how upsetting it was.

"Don't.." Cee sagged. "Just cause it would look like me don't mean it is me. I doubt monsters got dese makeup skills or.." She leaned in to Paige's ear, lips brushing the lobe as she muttered something very dirty and very promising into it.

Would that convince her? Did monsters even have sex?