I'm Not A Snake Monster!: Chapter 6
Added 2020-04-27 16:16:16 +0000 UTCSummary: Willow, an enormous snake-like monster with a heart of gold, has never seen anyone like her. She runs away from home in pursuit of the truth.
The Space and Time I Left Behind
CHAPTER 6
Tara's fainting episodes were annoyingly regular today. She didn't remember what had happened since she had passed out in the study at all.
Stirring awake once more, she found herself in her lavishly decorated bedroom, the curtains drawn closed so beams of light wouldn't irritate her eyes. Groaning, she looked around, ruffling the sheets as she did. She felt for her forehead, noting a damp rag had been resting on her forehead; it was likely steaming hot at some point, but had cooled to a gentle, lukewarm degree.
She squinted, the area around her blurry. She could barely make out any details farther than her immediate personage. Reaching for her glasses upon her pristine white bedside desk, she grabbed her glasses, slipping them off carefully as she looked around. She was still wearing the same outfit she had been before she had fainted...
"!"
Her eyes widened, realizing the events that had transpired in her own backyard! Her arms jerked forward, her heels hitting the hardwood floor with a clack! Her hand brushed along her bedside table, colliding with a small bell; it jingled as her frantic motion knocked it aside and down to the floor.
Tara hurried over to her vanity, giving herself a once-over. Grimacing at how her hair was all over the place, she grabbed a nearby hairbrush and furiously began to straighten herself out.
It was then that someone politely knocked at the door, with a precisely-staggered three knocks. Tara ignored it; it was obviously Winston, not someone of particular importance.
"Miss Tara, I have your Darjeeling tea ready. I trust you're feeling better, from all the banging around I hear?" Winston droned sardonically from the other side of the door.
"Not important! Just send it back to the kitchen, I'm going out!" Tara called out.
"...Out?" Winston asked quizzically. "But it's rather late. When do you suppose you'll be home by? You should have a chauffeur on hand at least-"
"I'm not going home until I find that monster!" Tara blurted, her wrist jerking to get at some of the twists in her hair. She wondered how she ever let it get so bad...
"Oh. Quite. I suppose every girl needs a hobby. Like entomology, or accounting." Winston commented.
"Ugh, don't give me that..." Tara whined. She had gotten used to skepticism. "I saw one, in the flesh, twice today! ...Well, in the scales, but that's neither here nor there!"
"As you were, then." Winston noted. "Before you go, you have a visitor waiting for you in the parlor."
"...A visitor?" Tara's brush stopped momentarily, before redoubling her frantic pace. "I-I'm not expecting anyone today. Ugh, who is it? If it's that nosy tutor..."
"She introduced herself only as 'Willow'. She seemed to know you, and had an urgent delivery for you." Winston commented matter-of-factly.
"...Willow...?"
Tara's frantic brushes paused for a moment. Her mind jumped backwards, back to a memory that she could never forget...
O-oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Willow! What's your name?
Tara gasped aloud, her hairbrush clattering to the floor with the realization. It was the creature... and it was inside her house!
Her dress fluttered as she shot up from her stool, her manicured nails clutching the sides of the vanity to ensure she didn't teeter over for a third time today. She took deep breaths, her legs trembling with excitement.
There was a real demihuman. In her home. It was so close. She had to witness it.
She darted to the door, swinging the door to her bedroom open with no regard for the person behind it.
Splash!
Unfortunately for poor old Winston, who was preparing a cup of tea to present to Tara, the wide swing of the door was enough to jostle the teacup, sending piping hot tea onto his bow tie, sealing into his neckline. It was scalding hot tea...
"Oh, bother." Winston muttered with all the annoyance of being splashed by puddle water in the streets.
"Oh, oh no, Winston, I'm sorry...!" Tara squeaked, covering her mouth. "Are you hurt??"
"I will survive, milady." Winston noted, his stone-faced exterior wholly unmoved.
"Well, that's a relief..." Tara sighed, raising a hand to her chest to calm down...
"...AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!?" Tara snapped, stomping her foot down.
"...You seemed predisposed, on account of your unconscious state." Winston coolly explained, flourishing a handkerchief to wipe off the steaming tea from his neck and chest. "It would be unbecoming of me to distract you from your-"
"YOU DIDN'T THINK TO WAKE ME UP FOR THE 25 FOOT SNAKE MONSTER IN OUR MANSION!?" Tara sputtered, getting wound up all over again.
"Frankly, I don't see what them being a snake has to do with anything." Winston responded, an eyebrow perking up.
"..........."
Tara stared at Winston with a look of utter bafflement. She opened her mouth, hoping to find a retort, but it escaped her. She shrunk back down, her eyes looking down the hallway.
That's right. She had other business to attend to. She had a discovery of the century to meet and greet. She couldn't stay mad at Winston, as another giddy grin spread across her cheeks.
"...W-we'll talk about this later!" Tara declared before hurrying off. Winston scoffed, before returning to the task of making himself presentable once more.
"...Tsk. This will be a pain to wash out."
---
Tara hurried down the hallway, rushing past every priceless heirloom along the way; landscape paintings, ancient vases, an antique clock. She was moving so quickly, she nearly slipped when she tried to veer a sharp right to descend the staircase. Her heartbeat had leapt up to the back of her throat as she staggered down the staircase.
Just to the left, she reminded herself. The parlor's to the left.
She staggered to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, making sure to catch her breath. She raised a hand to her chest, trying to steady her fragile heart. With a huff, she leaned against the wall, the oaken door inches from her face. Her head drew upwards.
Just on the other side of that, there was a real, live demihuman. She could hardly believe it herself, not in her lifetime. Part of her wondered if she was ready to meet one face to face.
For a few tense seconds, Tara simply stood there. Not only to collect herself, but to prepare herself. She had fantasized about something like this for ages, and now... she had only to open the door.
So what was stopping her? She was frozen in place, social anxiety gripping her all over. What could she even say?
"Hello?" Tara called out from her position, her eyes wide with trepidation and anticipation.
There was a pause. Tara waited.
"...Tara!? You're awake!"
Tara nearly died out of shock then and there. It was the same voice from the library. Unmistakably peppy. Her hands lowered to her dress, clenching anxiously. With a firm nod, her hand rose to the door handle, and opened the heavy wooden door.
Creeeeeak...
Tara peered into the parlor. Normally, the study was set aside for visitors of particular prominence and importance. And normally, there'd be a table and some comfy chairs set aside in the center of the room, upholstered for maximum comfort...
Those pieces of furniture had been shoved to the far corners of the room to make room for one person. Tara's eyes followed a long, winding serpentine tail, enormous in length and heavy in girth, gently wrap its way around the room, settling in a pile in the center of the ornate, cashmere rug.
It disappeared under a denim skirt, following up an exposed, scaled midriff, leading up back to Willow's eyes. She stared at Tara, her eyes widening. She had a familiar tome resting in her lap, but her attention was on the dainty girl peeking her head through the door.
"You're not gonna faint again, are you...?" Willow asked cautiously, her tail tensing up all at once. The snakes on top of her head swiveled in the air curiously. Tara stared, absolutely mystified.
"...No..." Tara whispered, unsure if that was a promise she could keep. She took a breath, letting herself in. Tara took careful, unsteady steps, giving Willow's tail a wide berth; it seemed to take up almost the entire room.
Tara couldn't stop herself from staring at Willow all over, in stunned silence. She had to drink it all in, to confirm that this wasn't some insane hallucination. Willow's torso twisted slightly, feeling a bit of tension in the air.
"Well, uh, Tara..." Willow tried to break the ice. She closed the book and handed it over. "I was just, well, stopping by to make sure you got this..."
"...Eh??"
Tara squeaked as Willow reared up to slither over to her. Tara shrunk a little; Willow wasn't only long, and enormous, but she was tall, easily towering over the mousy Tara by at least two feet... maybe three!
Willow simply slid the book into Tara's frozen, outstretched palms, the cover facing her. A scaly finger pointed at the title, tracing the elegant serif typeface.
"This is the one you wanted, right? A Bestiary of Mythical Creatures, Spectres and Changelings..." Willow recited it aloud. "I looked through it while I was waiting in here. That's okay, right?"
"...It's..." Tara spaced out, her eyes dully going over the words. Was this what she wanted after all? Was reading a dusty old book even necessary with Willow sitting... standing... existing right in front of her?
"...You're... i-incredible...!" Tara's eyes rose to meet Willow's, absolutely astonished. Willow's mouth flattened, blinking in response, before toying with one of her hairsnakes.
"Aaaah, I didn't do anything special, eheh..." Willow chuckled bashfully, stirring slightly. "You're gonna make a poor girl blush, talking like that... i-if I could blush, that is... nevermind."
Tara stared for a moment, watching as one of Willow's hairsnakes wrapped around her hand and palm. She watched with equal measures of horror and amazement.
"...And he's... connected with you? All of them?" Tara asked, lifting her head to see Willow.
"Oh, this guy? Yeah, he's Barry! Kinda the strong, silent type, but a real sweetheart. I'll introduce the guys to you!"
"...What-"
But before Tara could get a word in, Willow slumped down to the ground, bringing her head just below Tara's chest. The six hairsnakes all reared up, turning towards Willow with blank expressions. They swayed back and forth, observing her with six pairs of beady eyes.
Tara couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. They were so close... what if they were venomous?
"So there's Barry here..." Willow began to point them all out, one by one. "Gary's over here, he's really curious, always trying to get into my desk and stuff. And Larry here, he's wriggles a lot in his dreams. Jerry's a bit shy around new people, but he warms up quickly! Terry's a big goof, always bumping into things, and Obama's just the sweetest, nurturing little guy..."
Obama in particular hovered closer and closer to Tara. She leaned back a little, trying to put some space between herself and the snake, but stopped when the back of her heel hit Willow's gently coiling tail. Obama leaned in closer and closer...
...and booped Tara on the nose. Her nose squinched in response.
"...o-oh my goddess." Tara croaked, wincing as Obama's tongue shot out, wiggling up and down.
"Awww! He likes you!" Willow cooed.
Tara fell silent again. She had a real demihuman, so close she could reach out and touch them, in the mansion with her. Her mouth opened and closed, reaching for the list of questions she had prepared for just such an occasion.
She held her hands close to her chest...
"...eeeeEEEEEEEE"
...And squealed with delight.
"You're real! You're real!!" Tara had finally come to terms with the situation, and was ready to drink it all in. In a split second, she had transformed from sheepishly demure to maddenly excited. She was hopping up and down.
Willow shifted back slightly, confusion written on her face. "Uh, y-yeah! Here I am! We, uh, met at the library, remember?" Willow chuckled.
"No, no, that's..! You're a real, live... demihuman!" Tara exclaimed.
"...A demihuman??" Willow blinked. "What's that?"
"A cryptid, a mythical, fantastic being, a mon-..." Tara paused, stumbling on that last word. Better not jump the gun on that one. She turned to Willow. "E-essentially, they're... they're wonderful, beautiful, fascinating unique people, entire cultures, I... I've been studying them on my own, but I... I never expected..."
Tara's mind was racing forward. Willow looked at the book.
"Oh! That's why you wanted that book! I was looking it over earlier, it's... interesting!" Willow smiled, tilting her head.
"Yes! There should be something in here that... um..." Tara began to flip through the pages, trying to find an entry that matched Willow's physical attributes. None quite fit the bill precisely; there were lamia, there were gorgons, but Willow somehow had the attributes of both. While being completely scaled, to boot...
"...Ah, I can read this later!" Tara set the book aside, hurrying to Willow. "I-I need to ask you a few questions! No, a lot of questions! This, this is the discovery of the century!" Tara exclaimed.
"Really? Umm, how long would that take? Cuz I need to get home before it gets too dark..." Willow stirred a bit.
"What?? B-but I... you... you just got here, and..." Tara was deflating rapidly. She wasn't ready to see Willow go yet.
Willow was torn. Truthfully, she wanted to see more of the city, but she didn't want to make her parents worry. Still, Tara was being very friendly to her. At least, Willow interpreted it as friendliness.
"...Well, it's not gonna get dark for a while." Willow shrugged. "A-actually, I had a question to ask you too."
"Really? I-I mean, yes, of course, anything!" Tara nodded, almost too enthusiastically.
"Do you... have a library too?" Willow tilted her head.
"...what?" Tara paused, blinking.
"When I spotted you through the window! You had soooo many bookcases in there! A-and they're stacked up sooo high, and it's, it's bigger than my home!" Willow reared up, spreading her scaly arms out as wide as they could go. "I've never seen anything like that!"
Tara staggered back as Willow ascended far above the ground, her face reflecting total awe. She tried to collect herself quickly; she felt like she had been gawking far too much. Willow was a brand new discovery, but she was still a person...
"...The, the study, you mean?" Tara corrected her.
"Oh! That's what it's called..." Willow laughed, lowering back to eye level with Tara.
"...Well, would you... like to come see the study?" Tara asked. "I-it's the least I can do, for... for all your trouble, and-"
"Really?? I'd love to!!" Willow clasped her hands together, giggling like a ninny. "I think I saw some really tough-looking books in there! Have you read eeeeeverything?"
"...N, no, not quite, I..." Tara stammered, her eyes glancing to the door.
"Whaaat?? Then why would you need more books? That's silly..."
Tara didn't have a satisfactory answer to that. She paused briefly, her hand lowering to the door handle.
"I-I, um... well, the study is... this way..."
---
In the middle of the woods, a lonely campfire illuminated the surrounding trees. Shadows stretched out in all directions, waving and dancing with the flickering embers.
Minnie and Sami were hunched over, basking in the heat exuded by the twirling flames. Neither of them seemed particularly relaxed—the thought of Willow out in the real world, without any sort of guardian, had made them both tense.
Neither of them seemed eager to talk about it, contented to wait out the night as best they could.
"...Should one of us stand watch?" Minnie suggested.
"The fire should keep predators at bay." Sami uttered, staring at the fire. She was still as a statue. "They know we're out here."
"I'm not worried about the predators..." Minnie sighed, hugging herself. "...Well, that's not entirely true. A bear would be terrifying at this hour."
"At any hour." Sami corrected Minnie, not budging from her spot.
"You'd protect me if one came to eat us, right?" Minnie turned to Sami with wide eyes.
"...mm." Sami's mouth flattened, grunting aloud.
"Sami... you really have to think about it?" Minnie muttered, folding her arms against her chest.
"I don't," Sami muttered, her eyes drifting over. "I'm just thinking about how inane a question that is."
"It's a simple question!" Minnie whined.
"We'd take Weinstein and go. A creature like him would have no issue outpacing a bear. None." Sami rolled her eyes. "What a dumb question to indulge..."
"So you would save me!" Minnie confirmed, beaming, rubbing Sami's shoulder. "I know you'd always come to my rescue."
"..." Sami silently allowed herself to be pulled in by Minnie's embrace, wincing slightly. She glanced up slightly, the tinge in her cheeks reddening.
"...'Course I would. You'd be helpless out here by yourself." Sami admitted softly. She scooted over to be a little closer to Minnie.
"That's not how I remember it~" Minnie chuckled, her hand raising to grasp the side of Sami's head.
"Huh? ...Remember what?" Sami raised her head, an eyebrow perked up.
"When we came out here in the first place..." Minnie lowered her tone. "You practically begged me to come with you."
"...T, time was a pressing matter," Sami's eyes lowered. "I needed help, and... we had a working relationship."
"'Working relationship'. That's what Dr. Connelly calls it..." Minnie smirked, bringing Sami's head to her chest. Rubbing her back in large circles, Minnie rested her head atop of Sami's, enjoying the feeling of Sami's smooth, black hair.
"There was no one else I could turn to, Minnie. Honestly, it-"
"Shhhhh..." Minnie cooed, holding Sami a little closer. "We don't have to keep putting on this charade. We're alone, we've been alone for twenty years..."
Sami frowned to herself, her hands clenching in her lap. She knew exactly what Minnie was getting at. This was always something she had been trying to avoid while she was 'on the job', but... all that wasn't really at the forefront of her mind.
...Sami turned her head and kissed Minnie on the lips. It was brief, curt, and over before either of them had even realized. Minnie's eyes widened, her lips pursed together.
"Sami?? Was that-"
"There. I did it. Are you happy?" Sami groaned, hugging herself.
"Hmmm... well, kisses are like potato chips, you just can't have just one~" Minnie giggled.
"We have more pressing matters to attend to. This isn't a date." Sami lectured, her eyes glancing over with a glare.
"...Sami, you don't have to do this." Minnie frowned, her hands settling into her lap. "Putting on a strong-face all the time. I know you're worried..."
"And you think this will ease my concern? That it will distract me?" Sami responded, perhaps a bit more curtly than she intended.
"...You need to relax." Minnie rested a hand on Sami's lap, rubbing it gently. "At least until morning. I need you at your best, right?" She tried to smile reassuringly.
Sami glanced up, her eyes staring, reflecting a pensive look. Her eyes met Minnie's; Sami couldn't hold a stare, and was the first to budge, her body turning towards the dancing flames of the campfire.
"...Why are you so afraid of being honest, Sami? We've been together for, for over twenty years now." Minnie frowned empathetically. "This is hard for me too, but... this is the time that we have to be open to each other."
"...You want me to open up to my emotions? You really want that?" Sami glanced aside. "I let my emotions get the best of me before, and it got us in this whole sordid mess..."
"It wasn't your fault." Minnie took Sami's hand, taking in her own. "What matters is that you acted when it really mattered. We did a good thing, Sami..."
Sami didn't respond, the corner of her mouth curling into a grimace. What Minnie told her was like a knife in the gut, but her lips remained sealed, trying to hold it in.
"...I'm sorry." Sami suddenly felt weak. "...I'm feeling... tired. I'm going to rest."
"Oh... of course." Minnie felt like Sami was leaving something unsaid. The air was tense, and their most recent argument didn't feel resolved at all. But she wouldn't keep Sami from getting a proper night's sleep.
"Warm up the tent for me, will you? I'll keep an eye on the fire for a bit longer."
"...Yeah. Of course." Sami muttered. She stiffly lowered herself down to Minnie's level, closing her eyes. Minnie was quick to kiss her good night; it had been a ritual they had settled on between the two of them, and they knew it was important to hold onto the good things between them, even when things got rough.
Sami retreated into the tent, curling into a ball as she did. She felt like there was a heavy weight on her chest—she let out a pained sigh.
"I'm sorry, Minnie," She whispered to herself. "I failed everyone."
She took a moment to ruminate on that in isolation.All she had to look forward was a long, hard trek through the woods, and perhaps a world in chaos and disarray on the other side.
Willow had been at the front of her mind. What had transpired, how she had failed her countless times to reach this point. It was agonizing.
The stress of it all was terribly exhausting. Sami found herself tiring herself out overthinking everything...
She didn't even notice Minnie entering the tent after her. She didn't predict Minnie taking her into her arms. If her mind was sharper, she would think of resisting, or putting up a front.
But after everything that happened, Sami didn't cause a fuss. Almost as a reflex, Sami's arms hovered to embrace Minnie in turn.
They held each other in the darkness, without speaking another word. It was to conserve and insulate heat, logically speaking... but the emotional comfort was on another level.
Only then did a fatigued Sami, finally, drift into a deep sleep, her head nestling in Minnie's chest.
