Skales had only just left the store when the fangpyre approached, seeming to manifest from nowhere out of the ally.
He'd figured before the serpentine opened his mouth that he must've been turned, he didn't recognize them from the tomb, they didn't look to be from any clan he knew of, and they wore clothes typical of a human- that is, they bothered with clothes at all.
Looking them over, Skales got a sense there was something off. They where dirty, disheveled, with a line of greenish drool running down their chin.
Nevertheless, they projected a confident air as they approached, fumbling for something in their pocket.
"Excussse me, sir, ma'am?"
And that settled it, between the concern around a stranger's gender, and the concerted effort to hide the serpentine lisp, there was no way this was one of them.
Skales raised a hand, signalling to his bodyguard, Mesmoroua, to stand down.
"Yessss?" He said, flashing what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
The fangpyre pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and handed it over, saying "I'm supposed to be meeting a friend, but I seem to have gotten turned around"
They snorted, "I swear, this city was built like a maze"
Skales scanned the street, looking for anyone the fangpyre might've been travelling with, but saw no one.
He looked down at the paper in his hand. It was an address, but alas, not one he recognized.
He furrowed his brow.
"I'm not sure where thissss issss..." He muttered, but, noticing the fangpyre's dismay, added, "but I think I can find it"
He heard Mesmoroua muttering something unsavory under his breath, but he didn't protest beyond that.
He turned to him, "Return to the tomb if you wish, we will be fine on our own"
"I cannot in good conssscience leave you alone up here" said Mesmoroua.
Skales gave him a nod of acknowledgement, then reached into his bag for his rarely used map.
He fumbled with it, muttering under his breath as the fangpyre waited nearby, pacing in tight, impatient circles.
"Excussse me, sir, ma'am?"
Skales looked up to see the fangpyre staring at him.
"What issss it?" He asked, lowering the map.
Again, they were fumbling in their pockets, but this time they looked flustered.
"I'm- I'm supposed to meet a friend but I've got a bit turned around" they said, looking increasingly desperate "I have the address here somewhere" he muttered.
Skales stared at him, dumbfounded as he tried to make sense of this, then- oh.
"You mean thisss addresss?" He offered, showing them the paper.
The fangpyre didn't answer, only looking away.
They wiped their mouth on their sleeve, and Skales noticed their fangs- normally folded safely away in a fangpyre- where visible poking out from under their upper lip.
"I think I've plotted a route" he said, with a smile, he added, "Chen'sss, I sssee"
Mesmoroua brightened up, "Oooh! We should ssstop there, too, I'm kinda in the mood for noodlesss"
Skales glanced over at the fangpyre.
"Ssskales Jr. would love a sssuprissse fast food dinner" he noted, "Letsss do thisss"
The three started off in high spirits, although the fangpyre was quiet, at first.
Skales decided to strike up a conversation.
"Ssso, what's your name?" He asked
"Acronix" they replied, and then, with a smirk, they added, "I'd be sssuprisssed if you hadn't heard of me"
Skales cocked his head, frowning, "no, can't sssay I have"
Acronix laughed, then deflated "maybe thatssss- that's a good thing" he muttered, smile fading.
Skales took a second look.
It was hard to gauge the age of a serpentine, harder still if they'd been turned, but his best guess for Acronix was... Probably somewhere in his sixties.
Hardly old for a serpentine, but certainly old enough to have fought in the war.
His face was misshapen, sunken in were his venom glands should've been visible, but judging by the greenish tinge to his drool, they must've grown back somewhat.
"I sssuppossse you fought for the Alliance" said Skales, trying to keep the hard edge out of his voice.
"I was part of it" said Acronix, "I wasss one of the 'handsss of time' as they called us, fiercest warrior to ever sssee the battlefield"
As they walked, he could see that Acronix was half watching their surroundings, and no doubt, they felt the hateful stares as much as Skales did.
He couldn't help what he said next.
"And, how did that turn out for you?"
Acronix stiffened, "basstardsss" he spat, "Cowardssss, the lot of them, I sssuffered lesss asss the ssserpentine'sss prisssoner then I did from their 'help'"
A reward as the monster deserves, thought Skales, but he knew better then to say it.
That was the end of the conversation, in fact, as Acronix again forgot where he was.
There was a reason Chen's Noodle House was a such a popular restaurant among serpentine.
It was the only chain restaurant that would serve them, for one, and as they walked into this particular location, he could see multiple serpentine eating there, a few he recognized, some he didn't, but all of them seemed to have come here in a group.
Ninjago wasn't a safe place for a lone serpentine.
The cashier looked up as they came in, recognition and relief flashing across her face.
The three took a seat by the conveyer belt, and Acronix and Mesmoroua helped themselves.
Skales held back, wanting to eat with his wife and son back home.
As he sat, he thought about the person across from him.
There was no doubt in his mind that Acronix was a monster... But if his suspicions were true, then he had already suffered for it.
When they'd met, Acronix had been wandering the streets of Ninjago, alone and struggling with some kind of amnesia, and Skales honestly couldn't think of anything scarier.
The cashier- Skylor, according to the nametag- came up to them, gaze fixed on Acronix.
"Do you guys need anything?" She said in an overly cheerful, 'customer service' voice.
All three shook their heads.
"Jussst waiting for a friend" said Acronix, cool as a cucumber.
Skylor glanced at his companions.
"If you say so!" She chirped, and Skales thought he heard genuine relief in her voice.
She walked off, and Skales relaxed, waiting for his bodyguard to finish eating.
Acronix was done, and had taken to playing with his napkin, dropping and catching it is some sort of... Slow motion field.
Skales took a deep breath.
"Acronix?" He said.
Acronix looked up at him, letting the napkin drop.
Skales sighed. "I'm not sure how you feel about ussss" he said, grabbing his pen and tearing out a blank page from his grocery list. "But the war is over, itsss been over for decadessss, and... I believe it'sss time to mend the rift"
Hastily he scribbled down his email.
"If you ever need help, or jussst want to talk" he said, handing Acronix the paper, "send me a message"
Acronix took it. He looked it over and scoffed, "as if I'd need help from a snake" he muttered, but didn't immediately throw it out.
Skales decided that was probably the best reaction he could've hoped for.
Mesmoroua nudged his shoulder.
"I'm done eating" he said.
"And I should probably get our supper" said Skales.
He started to get up, but paused, "Acronix" he said, "will you be okay here alone?"
Acronix gave him a bitter look, "of course I will" he said, then cast a smile towards the cashier, "it's not like I'm actually alone"