Slimy? Slinky?
“What are you doing with that snake?”
With the way he spat the word, she would’ve taken offense. But in this case, she figured he wasn’t speaking metaphorically as there was, in fact, a snake wrapped around her upper arm and perched its rather cute little snout on her shoulder.
“Found this little guy on the side of the road and with all the talk of Jack wanting a pet I thought..” She purposely left the ending vague to gauge the reaction she’ll get.
“No.” The answer she got was a firm one and she knew there was no changing Phastos’s mind. Poor Jack though, she was pretty sure the little rascal would’ve gotten along well with – Slinky? Slimy? Got to figure out a name soon.
She shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk away, the snake moving across the back of her neck to the other side. “Okay then, guess I get to keep this one for myself. Say hi to Jack and Ben for me.” She yelled as a farewell.
“Hey- What- Wait! I don’t think Sersi would let you keep it either!” Sprite could hear the shout behind her.
She threw back a “Not if she doesn’t know!”
“She’ll definitely know!”
A scream sent her speeding up the stairs skipping almost the first few steps entirely.
“Don’t kill it!” Was the first thought that came to her mind.
She was met with Sersi’s incredulous stare. “Of course, I wasn’t going to kill- Sprite! Why is there a snake in our house?!” The warm feeling of Sersi calling it their home bloomed and Sprite had to physically stop herself from looking dumbstruck and focused back on the problem at hand. Which was currently slithering down her bed and onto the floor.
Gently laying her palm on the floor, the snake climbed up her arm and settled itself in its usual spot on her shoulder. Looking back to Sersi, she realized she didn’t answer the woman’s question.
“It was supposed to be a gift for Jack, but then Phastos didn’t allow-“
“-for Jack?!”
Sprite groaned. “-Yes. Why is everybody freaking out?” She grasped the slimy little animal and positioned it so that it was cradled in her hands. “It's not that big and it's not even poisonous!”
“How do you know it’s not poisonous?”
“Googled it.”
“Seriously Sprite don’t do that. You’re supposed to discipline it. ”
Sprite looked up towards Sersi, a small head following suit. Slimy – the name she thought fitted the sometimes-insufferable beast – was perched on her shoulder and the little animal raised its head as sprite offered it a piece of meat from her plate. One that quickly disappeared with a snap of its mouth.
“She’s not bothering anyone.”
Sersi huffed. “She’s bothering me. I can’t eat peacefully with a snake in front of my face.”
“Fine.”