Gwen had never known true silence unless Ben was asleep, but even then it only lasted for a few fleeting moments before he began to snore. At her own home she never really got silence anyway, whether she was at her mothers house with that blasted broken ceiling fan, or at her fathers house with the hum of the air conditioning always blowing above her head.
Yet here on this ship, it was quiet, an odd sort of calm unfit for her depressed mood. She dozed off a few times, every now and then waking up to a thunking noise, but then dozed off again out of sheer boredom.
A louder thunk woke her from her dazed sleep this time and she sat up to see Hinu setting up a cot in the corner of the room.
"I see you've finally woken up, Gwendolen." he said as he turned, dropping a greenish blue pillow onto the center of the bed.
She just looked around a while, running her fingers through her hair. "Gorg's coming down the hall, don't keep her to long." Hinu said as he slithered out, shutting the door behind him with a bit of force.
Hinu's attitude seemed the opposite of what he had been showing off when Gwen had first met him. Because of that she glared at the door for a moment before sitting up completely, testing the strength in her legs. She lifted her feet quickly and dangled them over the side of the bed, letting her socked feet touch the floor.
She held onto one of bedposts and lifted herself slowly, even then a sharp, painful feeling in her feet began to tear its way across the bottom of her heals, Gorg slipped in quickly after that, carrying a tray.
"Oh Gwendolen, don't try and get up just yet!" she said quickly with a spark of energy in her voice. She placed the tray down on a table beside the cot and hurried to Gwen's side as she fell forward.
Gwen felt Gorg's tail wrap around her waist and her hands help her to her feet. "You'll pull something deary, let me help you." she said gently, lifting Gwen up off of her sore feet and ripped feeling thighs as she began to slither toward the cot.
Gwen's stomach bubbled as she felt the muscles under Gorg's scales rub against her clothes. It was an odd enough feeling, but it wasn't anything to make her sick. In an odd way the scales on Gorg's tail felt... comforting, if that was the word she was looking for.
Gwen reached her hand out to the blue cover of the cot and plopped face first onto it, her arms under her chin. "So what exactly DID you cook, Gorg?" Gwen ventured to ask as she rubbed her socks together, trying to look over at the table.
Gorg smiled brightly and sat next to her on the bed with a smile. "Well, Kevin told me your into organic foods, so I tried my luck with a few things and got this." she turned gently and put the tray out in front of her.
Gwen pondered in angry tones just how Kevin, of all things that breathed, would know what she liked to eat. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, she'd ponder that unpleasant thought later. Much later.
Set in the center of the plate was a creamy white sauce with a splash of green on that. "Vegetable Lasagna, a homemade coffee cake I found the recipe for and hot cocoa... I made two cups if you want me to stay with you for a while." Gorg said in a shy manor.
Gwen looked over the food and took in the aroma, she looked up at the snake creature and felt a smile ease across her face.
"I'd like a little company." Gwen replied happily. Maybe she could get along with Gorg well enough to get her to send her home. She sat up gently on her elbows and smiled as she formed a plan. "Soooo, what am I really doing here? Besides being company for Kevin The All Mighty Ass?" Gwen asked, picking up the fork.
Gorg only shook her head with a laugh, she poured two cups of the milk chocolate drink and handed one to Gwen. "Careful, it's still hot." she said in a motherly tone.
Gwen laughed and sat up more. "I'm serious Gorg." she said calmly, the snake woman smiled again and blew on her drink. "It was Hinu's idea really, Gwendolen. I just wanted the boy off my case." she smiled and pinched off a piece of the coffee cake.
"Really though, Kevin isn't that bad of a person."
"Oh no, he's worse." Gwen said as she stabbed the creamy sauce covered noodle and shoved it into her mouth. Gorg giggled gently as Gwen swallowed the hot food quickly and fanned her hand outside of her mouth.
"Geez!" she squeaked as she started blowing outward. Another fit of laughter. "Don't be in such a rush Gwendolen, things are never as they appear." Gorg said with a sip of her drink.
Her tail flipped up happily beside her on the opposite side of the plate and caught Gwen's eye.
"Gorg..." she started to say.
"Yes, Miss Gwendolen?" Gorg asked her back gently, placing the cup on the tray.
"Can I ask you a question?" she ventured as she stabbed a smaller portion of the food onto her fork.
"Of course you can, anything." Gorg said sweetly, her face slightly flushed.
Gwen blew on the food and glanced at the shimmering purple scales once again. "Well, how is it... how is it you got your tail? Were you born with it, or was some magic involved?" Gwen blew on the food again before sticking it in her mouth to avoid eye contact with the other woman.
Gorg sighed and looked up at the ceiling, her thoughts were visible running across her face as she decided which answer would be best suited.
"Magic was involved, yes. Magic and science..." she said simply after a pause. Gwen began to chew on her lower lip in the silence and then looked up to her.
"I'm sorry." The snake woman laughed warmly at Gwen's response, her hand to her mouth.
"Oh dear no, there's nothing to be sorry about!" she smiled and ran her hand across a scale on her cheek.
"This happened a very, very long time ago." she smiled and took up her cup again. She blew the steam away and smiled.
"… How about we take questions in moderation. I tell you something and you tell me something?" Gwen asked quickly after a silence was broken by her thoughts.
Gorg smiled and nodded at the idea. "Alright then! I actually do have a question for you." Gorg told her happily as Gwen took a bit of the coffee cake and swallowed.
"Shoot it by me." She told the naga woman.
The snake women smiled happily, "What's it like to wear socks again?" she asked with a thoughtful smile. Gwen couldn't help but laugh a bit at the thought.
"Well… geez, I never really thought about it." she replied, laughing a bit more.
"Well, I know it's a stupid question, but it's a question none the less." Gorg said, her face the color of a cherry as she tried to calm down. She sipped once more at the emptying cup and Gwen sighed through her laughter and wiggled her toes.
"… Sweaty." Gwen finally said with a smile, it only made Gorg laugh into her drink and let the silence develop over them again. Gwen saw this as her turn for a question, and opened her mouth.
"Gorg." Hinu's voice snapped through the silence and Gwen's interrupted thought. The snake woman stayed in her seat, but turned her face to the shadowy figure in the doorway.
"Yes, Hinu?" Gorg said in a timid voice, her body stiff in one quick movement.
'Just when I was getting her to open up.' Gwen thought, throwing a tiny glare at the male. She shook her head as he slithered into the room and held out a bottle to Gorg, he didn't give Gwen any notice.
"You left your pills on the bed. I was worried." he said as he tail tip curled by hers. Gorg laughed and stood, placing her cup down.
"You worry to much, love." she said gently. He shook his head and gave a soft smile.
Gwen saw a glint in his eyes like the first time she'd seen him, he was happy again. Gwen couldn't help but wonder if Hinu was going through some kind of alien science experiment gone wrong form of PMS. A smile broke out on her face at the thought.
Gorg smiled and picked up her cup again and turned back to Gwen with a smile. "It's getting a little late Miss Gwendolen." Gorg said and gave a fake yawn.
"We'll leave you be for now." she gave a wink and hurried out after Hinu in a giggle. Gwen let her jaw drop and gave out a huff of annoyance, rolling over onto the bed again to finish eating.
Outside the closed door stood a dark figure, tall and bulky. Gorg stood behind Hinu, facing the figure.
"She's very annoying isn't she?" the creature asked, gruff and bitter.
Hinu seemed to be biting his tongue, his fist clenched. "Gwendolen is only human." he seemed to remind the figure.
Gorg held out the bottle in her hand. "Just take two, it'll give you three days more." she said gently. Hinu watched as the shadowy hand took the bottle slowly, as if daring him to come any further.
"You can go." the voice barked out, it gave off a low groan after a gulping sound was made, then no noise was heard. A moment later the door opened as the figure entered the room in silence.
Gorg looked back at the door and bit her lip. "She'll be alright… won't she?" she asked looking back at Hinu, taking his hand.
"She will, that's why I picked her." he said with a smile. He lifted her hand and gave it a small kiss. "Let's go." he said with a smile, and Gorg followed him with a smile, humming tunelessly.