He did it, he actually found the source of his fascination and even got her number. Granted, it could have gone better, but also, much worse. Now Nilian is left to try and figure out where to take his snake date.
Notes:So we finally met our lovely snake-lady, was she a little confrontational? Perhaps. Let's see what our dear doctor tries to do for his scaled center of attention.
Also, don't forget that Nilian is the person whose perspective we're following. So I often show his subjective observation and chain of thoughts (and subjects he deliberately avoids, even in thought). Maybe someone will catch a detail or two.
The fact that this story has over 250 hits is just so strange to me, but I read every comment and notice every kudos, thank you.
Chapter Text"Huh"
Nilian turned towards the noise, Penny was standing behind the bar, a few meters away, her arms across her chest and a curious expression on her face. Her mouth hung slightly open and her head cocked to the side, the visage of someone who'd just witnessed something inconceivable. Nilian leaned onto the bar and let his shoulders slump, while he attempted to calm the thumping of his heart. His view sank onto the empty shot glass and lingered there, trying to organize his thoughts. Then he glanced up to the bartender.
A small chuckle escaped the woman's mouth and she slid directly in front of the doctor, who pointed at the clear glass. "I'm not gonna die from that, am I?" He asked half-joking before the burning of his throat and mouth reminded him of why he didn't drink.
The woman simply took the container and assured him: "You'd be the first, might wanna get a chaser though. I still don't get how she enjoys that. Probably immune to the taste, with those full venom sacks and all." She theorized while motioning to her chest on a cupping gesture.
"Venom sacks?" NiIian was taken aback by the expression and raised his eyebrows.
"Tits, boobs, whatever you wanna call `em." Penny said dismissively.
"A Viper's venom is stored behind their eyes, close to the fangs. Their chest is similar to a mammal's, though doesn't serve the same purpose." Nilian explained for the 100th time. It had been almost second nature explaining the misconception, as it was apparently a very mind-plaguing question for many. "I don't even know where people got that idea from, it doesn't even make sense."
"You learn something new every day, I guess." Penny huffed in amusement.
She began cleaning and poured the man another drink of something sweet, maybe soda. Nilian thanked her, as the cold and sweet liquid-cooled the burning, though the heat would remain a little longer. The doctor looked into the holographic screen of his PC, seeing the digits of Amira's number. He quickly added it to his list, most of which were work or financial contacts.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Penny was staring at him, so he straightened his spine and gave her an inquisitive look.
"Ya know, I really hadn't figured you for one." She said, leaving it open-ended.
Nilian gave into the bait: "Figured me being what?"
"Y'know, someone who could handle someone like her," Penny explained, referring to the Viper.
"Really? I mean, she's... a very special kind of person and, honestly, I didn't expect it to go this well." Nilian told her, feeling his social confidence return now that the serpent was not around.
"Huh, she's got you wrapped around her finger already. I've seen her do that before, but no one's ever tried engaging with her like that. Gotta admit I'm impressed," Penny said in her smug tone.
"This is a regular occurrence?" NIlian asked, suddenly far less sure about himself.
"Every now and then someone asks what she's doing in her, mostly Xenophobes that just can't keep their mouth shut. I usually just watch them start to light up like a damn Christmas tree, but this was different. Like I said, she's nice. Maybe a bit direct, but ey, you handled yourself better than I thought you would." Penny assured him, offering the man another grin.
"How long have you known her?" Nilian asked
"She's been in the city foooor...I wanna say 3 months. She applied for the position of assistant chef about 2 weeks ago, but now she basically takes over in the evening. Food ain't our specialty, but she's quite talented when it comes to small meals. I offered to teach her to make drinks, but that didn't come very far." Penny scratched her chin in thought and chuckled at an apparently humorous story of mixing drinks.
"Any clue on where I should take her tomorrow?" Nilian was ready to accept any advice on how he could proceed, especially from someone who knew the serpent.
"Damn, that quick? She did mention a place called `Terrsetial Tastes´, says she usually eats there. Haven't been there personally, but I think it's somewhere in Downtown." Penny said after thinking for a moment.
"Well, I do appreciate your help." Nilian sighed and placed 20 Credits on the counter, "Hope you have a nice night." He didn't bother trying to give her an exact amount, whatever he'd had was definitely beyond the required price range, but giving tips was a personal favorite of the doctor, one of the few things he remembered his parents doing. Penny paused, looking at the shiny metal pieces, and raised an eyebrow.
"Damn, did I miss my opportunity with ya? Heh, guess the snake's lucky tonight." She swiped the money and pocketed around half of it and pulled her cheeks up again.
Nilian put on his coat and ordered his ride home. The atmosphere of the bar was still cheerful, a group of 3 humans and a Sectoid even began singing along with some pop song, being more than a few keys off, though that hardly dissuaded them. He pulled his umbrella from his pocket and unfolded it beyond the bar's exit. It would take the car a minute to arrive, depending on where the driver currently was. The sky had turned dark, deep rain clouds covered the moon, so the only illumination present were the various street lamps and glowing shop windows.
The rain pearled of the clear umbrella above him, while a cold wind tugged at his coat. Finally, an old combustion-style vehicle pulled up in front of him and he quickly entered. A man, seemingly in his late 30s, greeted him. The car ride consisted of idle small talk about the driver's work and how much he was looking forward to his weekend, as Nilian was apparently the man's last ride of the night.
The doctor was let out on the main road leading to Renova Heights and wished the driver a good evening, then continued walking to his apartment. The streets were mostly empty, safe for a few other people who were on their own way home. The rain flowed through the streets and into the city's canals, which ran like spider cracks through the entire city and separated the different districts. A few times, Nilian noticed the moon, which was almost full, peeking out behind its cover, illuminating the skyscrapers around him in cold blue. A decade or so ago, humans were at the beginning stages of exploring their solar system, now it didn't hold nearly the same priority and returned to being a thing of the future, but also danger. Perhaps someday, humanity, along with earth's new inhabitants would travel to distant galaxies or even the alien's homeworld. If some cruel race didn't decide to try to subjugate them again.
But the human was content with living on earth, future generations would have to worry about that, he just had to concern himself on keeping this one healthy. A humble goal that carried its perks. Nilian knew he was on the higher side of today's society, though that often slipped his mind, thanks to the years of surviving on the bare minimum. His family had been trapped in a remote city when ADVENT rose, the military couldn't defend them, so his parents made the choice of going along with it. He never blamed them, the alien force had defeated most of humanity's military within a few weeks, though some continued to needlessly throw their lives away. It took a few years of living under constant surveillance, but his father eventually managed to get all of them out of the city and into a resistance camp, where the doctor had spent most of his younger years.
However, that did not last long. ADVENT found them, they fought back, and they lost. Humanity could simply not fight back. Or that's what he thought before he joined Xcom. Using guerrilla tactics, stealing alien technology, and uniting the remains of humanity, they fought a long, long battle. Julius Karn had taken the then 18-year-old in, providing protection, knowledge, and parental love. And Nilian helped where he could, stitching wounds, performing autopsies, even going into the field to collect data. His advice had often more say than some of the battle-hardened adults, simply based on the fact that if they were injured, listening to the young doctor was often the only way to be redeployed. A lot of responsibility for such a young man to be sure, but that only increased tenfold, when dr. Karn passed away during a mission. The late doctor had been one of the few remaining people one could describe as `kind hearted´, not that Nilian blamed anyone to hold some level of discontent about their situation.
So once the Psyonic network fell and Xcom wasn't a force to reclaim, rather than the only functioning form of government, Nilian took his leave and built the hospital in memory of the man who had given him so much, and every day that he went to work there, he knew that he was keeping him alive in the process. Many do not know the story behind the name and that was fine, they didn't need to have stories pushed down their throat, simply that it was there if anyone asked was enough for Nilian. And if there was such an illogical thing as the afterlife, he knew that Julius would be proud, seeing patient after patient leave better than they entered it.
In his daydreaming, Nilian had already made it to the entrance of his complex. Saar was still in the same place of his reception desk and threw the human a welcoming smile, which he reciprocated. The human stepped into the silver box of the elevator and ascended to his floor. In the full-body mirror, he looked himself in the eyes, an unmistakable smile was chiseled into his face, he could guess why. For the first time in his 8 months of living in city 31, he was going to go to a social event that he was actually planning. He trembled with excitement at the prospect of being prepared for the serpent, surely she wouldn't be able to play him like she had done at the bar, now that he knew how she was. He had simply been caught off-guard, yes that had to be it. He wasn't scared of social interaction, nor the fact that she was an alien, it had to have been just a one-time occurrence.
His door lay along a hallway of similar doors, 7 others to be exact, though he couldn't be certain if he was perhaps the only one on this floor who was still awake. So he quietly entered his quarters and locked the door behind him. He let his satchel fall to the floor in the middle of the tunneled entrance and hung his coat and umbrella on a hook. Then slipped out of his shoes and kicked them into the closet, before turning to the kitchen, where it became apparent that he hadn't eaten since lunch. A mounted clock displayed the time as 11:05 PM. He didn't want to sleep with the smell of synthetic meat, but also not an empty stomach, so he opted for the leftovers of some take-out. He quickly heated the artificial duck, along with its sauce, and poured it onto a plate.
Perhaps it was the lingering adrenaline or the excitement for tomorrow, but he didn't feel tired yet, so he took his late-night dinner to the couch and activated the TV. News, recovered action movies, music channels, and an endless amount of ads clouded the programs, so he settled on keeping the news on, simply for background noises. Reports of the new wave of aliens, coming from the detention center, played as he ate, mostly mentioning how the new programs employed by these centers would aid in quickening the process of integration. Many welcomed the Sectoids, Mutons, Vipers, and Hybrids, with signs as they exited the repurposed ADVENT shuttles. Though a few stray insults and offensive opinions were mixed throughout, the news often showed the best side of city 31, yet, could not always filter out the worst of humanity.
Nilian let out a little huff, if he had stayed with Xcom, he would probably have had involvement with the integration programs, maybe even worked in a center. But all that was speculation. Now he was simply a civilian and tomorrow he'd even go out with one of their former invaders. From her size and the way she had spoken, he could guess that she was hatched during the stages of occupation, she would still grow to about 5 meters. Most Vipers shared the same yellow and orange colors and similar shapes upon their backs. There were various reasons for Vipers having different coloration and scales, though he couldn't know which were the reasons for Amira'S unique colors.
He finished his meal and set it aside, then turned off the TV and took a shower. The shower was one of his favorite features of his housing since one corner of his bathroom was dedicated to it. The showerhead was incorporated into the ceiling, so one could enjoy warm water as if it were rainfall.
Feeling refreshed, he slipped into pajamas and let himself sink into bed. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.
Nilian awoke late into the following morning, at around 10 AM. He lazily stretched his joints and yawned deeply, then turned his legs off of the bed. He grabbed his PC, which was charging on a station, and activated its display. While he made his way into the kitchen, he clicked on Amira's number to send her a message. While thinking of how to best start a conversation, he poured himself a cup of coffee, though it wasn't made with real beans.
-Hey, it's me, Nilian. I was just wondering when you'd be available today.- He settled on trying to keep it about the date's time.
Having sent out the text, the doctor figure he should probably try to check Penny's recommendation. He searched for the name Terrsetial Tastes and up popped a restaurant in Downtown. The description mentioned take-out and in-house dining, as well as the fact that it served `all species´. Although he sadly couldn't find any online menu, so he'd just have to hope that they provided humans, too. There was also a lack of reservation, perhaps this place wasn't that filled.
A thought crept into Nilinan's mind, was he being lazy by taking her out to a place she had gone to already? A date, as far as he understood it, should be special, doing something they'd both enjoy, while new or exciting to at least one of them. No, going to a random place would not do.
-Glad to see you haven't forgotten me yet. Anything after 6 will do, depending on where we're going.- The ring of a text interrupted his pondering.
Nilian decided then, based on the fact that he didn't know where she lived and also had no way of telling what she enjoyed, that the safest bet was going to the recommended restaurant.
-Then let's meet in Terrsetial Tastes at 7.- He texted her back and waited. He saw her typing in the custom chat.
-Great choice, I'll see you there.- She responded, leaving her thoughts on the place ambiguous.
'Good enough. Now, what to wear...' Nilian entertained the idea of throwing on his fancy suit, which he had worn exactly once, during the opening of the hospital, then reconsidered and looked into his closet. What greeted him was the realization that his style was very boring. Nothing but plain white shirts, blue pants, and professional jackets. He really wasn't prepared for this.
After searching and tossing various articles of clothing, he finally found something casual looking: A black long-sleeve shirt and a brown pair of pants. He'd definitely have to buy some new clothing. He laid them out on his living room table and tried to shake out the wrinkles.
Although it was the weekend, Nilian still had to do work, luckily, he could do so from home. He withdrew financial documents from his satchel and scanned over them. Request for structural expansion, hiring of new employees, and restocking of medical supplies. Being the lead doctor had its privileges, but also carried more boring parts. He had hired an accountant a while ago, Jeffrey, who helped him keep the more unnecessary paperwork away from him, though there was still a lot that needed his direct approval or signature. He scanned the documents and sent them to Jeff.
Right around noon, Nilian had finished his work, the rest of the day was his to spend. Usually, he'd get some take-out and sit on his couch, fantasizing about furnishing his apartment. Though he actually had a plan today. He still sat on his couch, though, it was comfortable.
'I wonder what she's doing right now.' Nilian thought to the viper, imagining how she'd bust down the door to a terrorist hideout, or chase down a troublemaker. He then realized how little he knew about what the Reclamation agency actually did, besides bust criminals. Another thing he'd have to ask the serpent.
The noise of receiving another message interrupted him. His heart skipped a beat, was Amira messaging him? But that wasn't the case. Kelly had sent him a message, though not through their work chat, this wasn't business.
-Hi, we've been wondering if you're free tonight? The 4 of us want to hang out again, go drinking in Downtown, at around 8. Interested?-
'I agree to do that one time and all of the sudden they invite me to everything? If I'd known it was this easy 7 months ago.' Nilian chuckled to himself.
-Sorry, busy tonight. Hope you'll have though.- He replied and left it at that. Not like they would miss the quiet doctor.
As it neared the afternoon, Nilian boiled himself some noodles, he didn't want to go on an empty stomach. Even if he still had time, his mind was constantly checking the clock.
'Should I get her a gift? What would she even like? Goddamnit, I have no idea what she likes...Another thing to add to the list I guess.'
Finally, it neared 6:30 PM. From the map, it would take roughly 15 minutes, but he still left early. Nilian had his hair styled, showered again, and put on his outfit. Luckily, the rain had ceased and, according to the reliable weather report, would not return until far into the night.
Nilian quickly made his way down the hallway and to the elevator and down into the lobby, which was far more lively on weekends. People entered and left, not for work, but for other recreational activities, and today, he was one of them.
A taxi picked him up on the main road, he got in and was greeted by a Viper in the front seat. She had the regular coloration of an occupation Viper, though not a clone, judging by the triangle pattern on her hood.
"Good evening, Sir. Where will I be taking you tonight?" She asked, looking at him through the rearview mirror.
"Do you know shaper's lane? Along that lies my destination, uhm..." Nilian projected the map in holographic form to show her and pointed at the street upon which lay the restaurant."Here."
She turned her head and oriented herself, then nodded confidently. "Been there a few times, not a problem!"
She started the electric engine and inserted into the light traffic. How did she even accelerate and break?
"Enjoying your weekend with some friends?" The Viper asked, giving him a quick glance with her red eyes.
"A date, actually. Still can't believe I'm really going on one." Nilian admitted.
Her eyes flared with interest and she inquired: "Oohhh, exciting! I haven't ever been on one, but... that hasn't even crossed my mind. Scales and fangs, you know." She jocked dismissively.
"I'm actually going out with a Viper. Not all people mind the scales." Nilian retorted.
"Aww, that's so cute. Well, I wish you good luck." The Viper cheered.
"I know this is might be a weird question, but do I smell of something particular?" Nilian realized his opportunity to test if his attempt of covering his hospital scent had worked.
His driver paused at the question, then extended her long tongue and tested the air slowly. "You're wearing cologne, but that much a human could've told you. I do smell shampoo, though." She explained.
"Good, good," Nilian said to himself.
"And don't forget to compliment her hood, she'll like that!" The Viper advised him as he left the car. She had let him out on a sidewalk in the middle of Downtown's shopping roads.
He had been to the shopping district a few times, mainly to get the innovative food or buy some old-world trinkets. Shopfronts extended into the sidewalk and many pedestrians chose to take the road instead. Mobile carts of various street vendors traveled along, advertising their food with shouts and smells. Restaurants had set up their outside lodging, using the rather warm weather of this evening.
He checked his PC, 6:50, he was on time. So he made his way to the arranged meeting spot, just a little further down the road. He spotted the restaurant, a bright green-colored building with a 2 story outline. Its windows were open and Nilian could see that it was rather bare inside. He immediately noticed a Viper in an outfit that resembled the look of a waitress in an old American dinner, only elongated to cover below the waist and partway onto her tail. She slithered around with a tablet in her hands, taking in orders.
He opted to wait outside for his date and leaned against a wall, trying to mentally prepare himself once more for anything the Viper would throw his way.
It didn't take long for the desired reptile to show up after that. She exited her own cab, grabbing the roof and slinging her tail out onto the sidewalk. Nilian looked past all the other people, fazed them out, and simply gazed upon the unbelievably beautiful black and silver pattern. She wore a loose-fitting green jacket, that wasn't buttoned up and showed a white shirt beneath that accentuated her feminine curves. Her deep eyes scanned the area and her tongue flicked out, her gaze then fell upon the man, who once again couldn't help but stare in amazement.
The car drove off and Amira slithered straight to the human, her eyes carrying a predatory focus. She skillfully maneuvered between the pedestrians and Nilian pushed off the wall to greet her.
"And here I was thinking I'd scared you off." She opened before he could say anything, stopping about 1,5 meters in front of him.
"I'm not scared of you," Nilian said, though her raised eyebrows indicated that she didn't quite buy it.
"We'll see about that later, let's go inside, I'm starving." She exclaimed, "Before I go and see if you're as tasty as you smell," She hissed quietly as she slithered past. Leaving the human to freeze up.
`You held it together for almost 3 seconds. Well done,' Nilian thought to himself.
Amira held the door open for him and they entered together. The mood of the restaurant could best be described as a classical movie depiction of an American diner, promoted by slow jazz and red and white cubicles. The Viper Nilian had spotted from outside came towards them, glancing between the human and the Viper.
"Evening Amira," she greeted the snake, before turning to Nilian for a second. "Not alone today?"
"No, this is Nilian. He asked me out at work yesterday." Amira explained nodding to the doctor, who was content letting her explain.
The waiter pulled her head back slightly, as if in disbelief, then leaned a little closer. "Blink twice if you need me to call the police" She whispered in a jokingly serious tone.
"He's not gonna do that, I trained him in the car before coming in here." Amira bluffed back, smirking towards Nilian. "Now show us to our seats, old scales!" she demanded.
The Viper crackled a little and spun around, Amira followed. Nilian's mouth hung slightly open, but he opted to follow the 2 serpents. The yellow and red-scaled Viper lead them to an empty seat in a second part of the room, where the benches were more open, probably to accommodate his date's size and lack of legs. The human shuffled onto the bench and Amira laid her tail out on the remaining space. She coiled herself below her humanoid torso and sat straight up, exchanging looks with her viper friend.
"Can I start you off with some drinks?" She asked, pulling out a pen and a small notepad from her uniform.
"I'll have some soda, if you'd please," Amira said in an overly polite manner, giving a coy smile to the other Viper, probably still mocking her.
"I'll take that, too," Nilian added.
"Right away, have a look at the menu till then. And try not to eat him," The Viper turned, before flipping her tail like a whip against Amira's hips in retort.
"Why does everyone keep mentioning eating or biting me?" Nilian asked amira in jest, once their server was out of likely earshot.
Amira took the open invitation to shift her hungry gaze back into Nilian's eyes, "Don't think about it too much, she wouldn't do something like that. Not while I'm around at least," she added playfully.
"You'd protect me?" Nilian inquired, he knew she was just teasing, but he couldn't help but go along with it. It was exciting, it was new, and he enjoyed it through all his shyness.
"I don't like sharing. At least for today, you are mine." She whispered quietly, letting her tongue linger in the air a little.
Before the human could dig his hole further, their snake-waitress arrived once more, carrying 2 glasses of sparkling black liquid in her hand. She used her tail to shuffle coasters below where she set them down. Then pulled out her notepad again and gave the pair an asking look.
"What would you like to eat, then?" The question directed more to the doctor.
He hadn't had time to look into the menu yet, so he looked to his date for advice. She fought his glance and quickly asked: "Want me to choose for you, I know their specialty." Amira offered.
"Gladly," Nilian was sure it could not be as bad as yesterday's drink.
"Then we'll take the steak with fries. And make it extra rare for me, dear." Amira ordered, adding a "Thank you Scales!" for good measure.
The Viper took down their order and slithered off to the kitchen.
They'd have some time to make conversation, so Nilian tried to start one: "Is her name Scales, or is that just you joking?"
"Nah, she named herself Alise, but it's more fun this way. Would be very uncreative if she did." Amira explained.
"I forgot how significant naming yourselves was, you sure she's fine with it?" Nilian worried.
"Ah, you humans are always so serious. If you relaxed a little more, life becomes a lot more fun. Don't you want to have fun, Nilian?" She flared her hood, having elicited a short flush of red on the human's cheeks. The way she breathed out his name, along with her soul-penetrating eyes and deliberate tongue movement was a combination the doctor could not ignore.
"Tell me, when did you start doing this?" Nilian managed to compose himself enough to ask.
"What am I doing?" She was playing coy, probably hoping he'd fall into another trap of hers.
"This. The looks, the eyes, the way you put emphasis on certain words. Don't pretend that you don't enjoy it." Nilian didn't know why he had decided to call her out, but he had to try to be on the offensive.
She paused for a moment, apparently considering whether to answer genuinely or continue to wait for an opportunity to tease the poor man. She seemed to choose the former and leaned on the table, resting her chin on one of her scaled hands, while gesturing with the other.
"In the detention camps, they made us take classes on social interactions, had us act out, and even had tests at the end of lessons. It was fun at first, but I quickly found it to be repetitive, simply acting out a script with clearly defined lines and rules. I've had my share of repetitive, mindless interactions. So when a social worker explained the concept of flirting, of course under the explicit mention that it had to be used sparingly, I noticed that it had such an interesting effect on humans, that I've just been doing it every opportunity I get. Other Vipers and Xenos are so much less expressive and more contained than humans, so I do it much more often with humans." Amira finished her description with another smirk towards Nilian and added: "Though I must admit, your reactions are my favorite by far."
"So you do it because it is fun seeing humans turn red when you say you're gonna eat them?" Nilian surmised.
She nodded, with her head cocked to one side, still resting on her hand.
"Now I have a follow-up question for you, doctor," she opened her eyes to intensify her stare. "Do you like it?"
'Aaand there goes my composure again' Nilian almost choked on his drink and had to put it down.
"Ehm, I...It is...Unique. I hadn't met anyone who's had me on this much of a backfoot. Believe it or not, I'm not that shy of a person normally." Nilian admitted and the snake listened with an interested and attentive expression. "Doesn't help my situation that I feel like you can see straight through me. And I haven't really had experience in interacting with such a beautiful woman before." The words had left his lips before his anxious mind could halt them. Whatever happened next would happen and there was no way to reverse his decision.
For the first time since he had met her, the Viper was halted in her confidence. Her lips pulled up, her eyes widened and her head slipped from her palm. Was she the one flustered right now? Nilian dared to break eye contact and noticed that the end of her tail was slowly swaying against the seats.
"I...you...Ehh" She stuttered, the concept of language escaping her for a moment. Nilian didn't know what to do either, he had beaten her at her own game. Fortunately for the serpent, Alise swung by their table and placed 2 plates in front of them.
"And here you go, bon appetite. Just yell if you need anything," the waitress concluded with a professional smile, seemingly oblivious to what had just transpired.
The food smelled wonderful, the meat was probably synthetic, but there was basically no difference in taste. Potatoes were amongst the few foods to still be cultivated in their original form and the fries were cooked crisp. The lines on the steak and the smell terminating from the kitchen suggested that it was grilled over an actual grill. while the human's food was well cooked and equal amounts of fries and meat, Amira's plate held a very big and juicy slab of meat and fries more as garnish.
Alise left them, without provoking a comment by Amira, who shook her head and blinked a few times, regaining her composure. Neither ate, simply eyeing the other, to see who'd break the silence first.
"Do you mean that?" Amira's voice didn't display the same provocative tone she'd had before, even unsure.
"Did you?" Nilian had thought about letting her off the hook, simply telling her everything he adored about the serpent. But he wanted to see how far he could push this, prodding the proverbial snake's nest.
"There is something about you. Something...alluring. The way you talk to me is just...You treat me like a normal person. I have never felt this way, and I don't know what to do with that feeling." The human held eye contact and, although she was impossible to decipher in other circumstances, she radiated genuineness and a certain desperation.
"I...feel similar towards you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, you've not left my mind for more than a second. That's how I mustered the courage to return to the bar, I just needed to see you again. Amira, I...really like you." Nilian didn't think, he just let out whatever came to his lips, disregarding consequences or rationale. He simply lost himself in her endlessly reflecting eyes. Nothing mattered, only that he came clean with himself and her.
Her tongue rested outside her mouth as if she had forgotten to pull it back in. Her pupils shifted from one eye to the other, trying to gauge if he was just repaying her teasing. But the human was righteous.
"Wow..." Was all she could muster, leaving her jaw slightly open.
The 2 sat there, lost in the other person's eyes and words, maybe she found the human's eyes similarly fascinating. Until Nilian broke the silence with: "We should probably eat."
Amira took the offer without a second thought and the doctor felt a similar kind of relief. He was tense, he was nervous, but it felt...right. They both needed a bit of respite.
He used the provided utensils and cut into the tender meat and ate, it was delicious. Amira, on the other hand, cut the steak into big pieces and dropped them down her mouth. They made eye contact a few times, lingering for just a moment, before quickly breaking away and returning to the safety of their food. This continued for a while until there were only a few fries left on each plate. Nilian caught her using her tongue to snatch singular fries up into a pile and, without using her hands, pulled them into her mouth.
"How long is your tongue?" Nilian chose to try and break the stalemate with a little humorous question.
"You know, I never tried to pull it all the way out. But from what I've heard, it's close to the length of my body, why?" She inquired, taking in the fact that the doctor gave an opportunity for a different topic of conversation.
"I've seen Vipers pull others from behind cover with them, I was simply wondering how far I'd have to get away." Nilian joked, pointing at her with a fry.
She huffed, the situation had noticeably lightened. " You couldn't. What did you do during occupation, you look around the age to have been around."
"I was with Xcom, promoted from grunt to doctor within a few months. Glad I never got too close, Your kind used to scare me." Nilian recalled the time a Viper had ambushed his first camp and how much the gigantic snakes inspired horror stories amongst the rookies. So much had changed, the monsters were explained by science and shown to be nothing but unwilling slaves. And here he was, telling one how much he admired her.
"Used to?" She smiled, then opened the front part of her lower jaw and out popped the syringe-like teeth. "These aren't for eating, nor for show." they pulled back, almost mechanically fast and precise, into fleshy sockets in the roof of her mouth, where that were safely stored, to avoid the rather derpy look Vipers would get if they closed their jaws. Like a scaly sabertooth tiger. Also that they didn't actually bite themselves. Nilian remembered the former first, thanks to some, looking back, really fucked up memories of Xcom autopsies. They had contributed to the fall of ADVENT, but not many `funny situations´ were so funny now.
This also confirmed Nilian's suspicion that Amira was, in fact, not a `Viper´in the sense of the particular race. One of ADVENTS lasts inventions was the introduction of `subspecies´ of Vipers. Mainly recognizable by their coloration and scale pattern, but also finer features like size, venom, vision, fangs, claws, facial features, and heat or cold reaction, were all different in these new variants. He knew that earth snakes were used as inspiration for this, their adapted features used in DNA manipulation, to adequate their already perfect killer hunters even more in specialized environments, that the resistance had used to their advantage during the beginning stages of the resistance. Luckily for them, growing these new hatches took time, so they had barely begun to be introduced into the war when Xcom had already initiated the plan for attack.
"You're a Mamba," Nilian noted in his mind, though spoke out loud. In hindsight, that should have been obvious, but he had simply not thought about the subject for a while.
Amira paused her display and returned a curious, and surprised smile. "You know about subspecies?"
"A little, compared to what I want. ADVENT took up the genetics of multiple species of serpents and made new soldiers from it. From what I've read, so pretty much what Xcom knew before I departed, Elapidae, Pythonidae, Aniliidae, and Boidae, Cobras, Pythons, Water Snakes, and Pythons. As well as a snake that resides in unusually cold environments, but I don't think we ever figured that one out, Though I think I've seen one of them on TV, working for a security team." Nilian explained and Amira listened with an absorbed expression. She listened, she was actually engaged in the doctor's rambling. The last time someone did that...
Nilian was pulled from his memories of the late doctor, by Amira. "Interesting, you know a lot about me that I didn't even know. They didn't tell us why we were different, and we never questioned it. I don't think I've seen another one of my subspecies since the war."
"Figures, the amount of time for them you hatch left ADVENT with not being able to make many of you, but I think cloning would have hurried this process if we hadn't spotted them. You are very rare," Nilian concluded.
"What a charmer," Amira smiled, before stretching herself out a little. "I'm full, you wanna get out of here?" She questioned.
Nilian nodded and looked for Alise. He spotted the Viper peeking out behind the kitchen window, attempting to hide, she had been eavesdropping or just watching. Either way, she noticed Nilian's look and immediately shot to full height and slithered towards them, as if to play it off. Nilian chose not to mention it, she had probably been expecting a show, just like Penny the previous night.
"Enjoy the meal?" She asked in a friendly tone.
"Yes, very much. I can see why she likes this place." Nilian responded,
"The kitchen will be glad to hear it, you off then?" Alise inquired towards Amira, who nodded.
She pulled out a little device from the belt that affixed her uniform, Nilian then lifted his wrist and swiped across the scanner the snake was holding, happy to pay for the meal.
"Hope to see you again soon, and have a nice rest of your evening," Alise said as she slithered away, their plates and glasses in hand.
The 2 made their way out of the restaurant or rather diner, and into the still bustling streets of Downtown. He didn't check his watch but figured it must be around 8 PM, judging by the sun. Which would soon disappear behind the city's walls, a sunset, that was it.
"Amira, would you like to take a walk down the river?" He asked before he realized his wording.
Amira didn't give him time to correct him, "Sure, I'll take a slither with you." She chuckled in a crackling manner.
Something Nilian took note of, was that she was keeping on eye level and fairly close to him, as they made their way towards the river connection of Downtown. She also stuck to his side and dodge incoming people without splitting up. `Cute´
Slowly, they left the shopping district and made their way to the docks. Ships carrying fish from the ocean, and small commercial boats drifted along the shoreline. Nilian led her along it until he found a bench facing the sunset. He approached it and Amira took his clue and draped her tail down the bench while resting her upper body against the back. She had left space for him. The human took his place, though he kept a little bit of space between them, he didn't want to assume.
He sighed deeply, watching as the orange light of the sinking sun reflected off the water's surface and painted the city in a warm color. His view wandered from one amazing sight to one much closer. She had used his distraction to shift her body closer to his, her scales brushed against his arm, hard and cold at first, but he felt warmth from below them and they flowed seamlessly into one another, while also being somewhat pliable. He dared to sneak in a glance at her face, she was basking in the sunlight, it reflected especially off of her silver scales. Her eyes were closed and her breathing slow, while her tongue made its way in and out every few seconds.
"What are you doing?" She asked, opening her eyes and turning to the human, who quickly snapped out of his trance.
"Thinking about how beautiful you are. The way your scales reflect the light is...gorgeous." Nilian admitted.
A momentary shift in her expression betrayed the fact that the human's compliment had hit a target. She pulled the edges of her lips up and returned the affectionate smile, then looked down and back up again, an idea had sprung into her mind.
Wordlessly, she lowered her body and head, until it met the human's shoulder. She pulled her hood in and rested her head on him, Nilian held still, letting her do what she wanted. She let out a hissing sound, that further proved her relaxing. And her calmness, the soft lifting and sinking of her side, let the doctor release a lot of built-up anxiety. They simply stayed like this, enjoying the sight together and embracing the fact that neither had to say what this might mean.
"I like it when you say these things. Can you keep going?" She asked almost timidly, nuzzling her neck against his.
Nilian immediately complied: "I love the way I can lose myself in your eyes. I admire the fact that you can be so direct, but gentle when you're flustered. I enjoy watching you move in a neverending motion. And I adore the patterns on your hood and tail. Amira, you are the most beautiful being I have ever met, and I never want to leave this moment." He didn't know when exactly it had happened, but sometime during his monolog, her long fingers had interlocked with his digits.
He gently rubbed the back of her black and white hands, running his fingers across the smooth surface. He felt something slowly wrapping around his ankle, not uncomfortable, but in a warm way that let him know that she sought his contact. The combination of the warm sunlight and slight pressure in his hand and leg all combined to bring the most amount of comfort the doctor had felt in years.
"Neither do I. I had never thought that I would enjoy something like this, but now...Can we do this again? Over and over, just us." Amira spoke her hopes out loud.
"Yes, let's do this again. I won't be working tomorrow, so if you want, we can do this all day." Nilian proposed.
"I might just do that. My squad will be alright without me for a day, nothing to do anyway." She fantasized.
With the following day secured, the 2 chose to enjoy the rest of the light in silence, all the way until the sun only barely peeked above the walls. The last few lines of orange danced across the wavy water and drew long shadows behind them. If this would never end, if they could just stay in this single moment for all eternity, neither would have minded.