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serpentinebrutality​:

 Her panicked expression soon softened upon hearing Duke’s assurance that she could come to him to talk. It was starting to become a habit. The drop of her shoulders and unclenching of her jaw around him. Perhaps it was the fact they were surrounded by nature. Perhaps, it was something more. She was a little surprised by Duke’s take on the subject, but he was right. Bottling emotions up never did anyone any good. She knew that for certain. Her body relaxed further, a larger smile settling on her lips. The demoness’s expression only brightened further from hearing his compliment about her casting.

 For a second there, she was sure she had heard her heart beat against her ribcage. Oh. So that was the “something more”. Her subtle side-gaze found Duke while he talked about the farmer’s market. It had only been a few weeks since they had begun talking properly, and yet… The feeling was scary. Yet, she wanted to explore it. It had been too long since she felt such a craving — was it not worth to try and decodify it? It could simply be desire. Duke was her type, after all. Therea knew it wasn’t just that, though. If that was the case, if there wasn’t some yearning there, she would have already attempted to flirt with the demon. When affection and, maybe, love, was involved… It was much more difficult for her to take any steps forward.

 That whirlwind of thoughts was likely what caused her to stumble upon feeling the tug. She let out a yelp of surprise before her hands gripped the rod firmly. A nervous laugh escaped her right after. “What, you don’t believe I’m a loud personality as well?” The question came out breathless as she struggled to stand upright. Whatever bit the bait was being a stubborn one. Therea thought it wouldn’t be trouble to reel a fish in, but once she tried the creature must have decided it had messed around enough, because the resistance in the line disappeared and she felt the line stop tugging. With a huff, she blew her dark bangs away from her face.

 “What a little asshole,” came the muttered frustration about the fleeing prey before her suddenly tense shoulders dropped once more. It wasn’t usual of her to swear so suddenly and her head quickly whipped from side to side, always expecting Elizabeth to be standing behind her with an amused expresion. “Duke, your fish don’t like me.” Despite the pout on her lips, she reeled the line in and prepared to cast it once more. Stubborness seemed to be a trait she shared with Synth.

 “Well, I ain’t seen ya be loud just yet I guess.” Duke shrugged with a chuckle. Between Therea and Synth, as far as he could tell,  Therea was the one closer to being straitlaced. More of a woman with manners and all that. “Hold onto it tight now. Don’t let the sucker leave with ya rod!” His hands hovered around hers, “Come on. You got it!” And then Therea didn’t have it. The thin fishing line suddenly went slack and the fish swam back out into the expanse of the murky swamp. 

 “Ah, ain’t they all?” Duke chuckled. “They don’t usually like anythin’ that tries n’ pull ‘em outta the water t’be fair. ‘Sides, you almost got ‘em in! Not bad fer ya first nibble.” He gave her a pat on the back and grinned. “You’ll get ‘em next time!”

 Therea was probably feeling a little defeated after than one, right? She certainly seemed a little peeved off. “Tell ya what, how about we have ourselves a break? I got some grub back at th’ house.” Or shack rather. “I got half a pie an’ some pork n’ beans I think. The good kind, not the canned one. I can do a lil diggin’ in the cupboards. How ‘bout it?” Food was a good way to forget about the little fish, plus if they could sit down to eat, it’d probably be easier to chitchat.

[gatorstinks]

Valentine’s Day Horny for @serpentinebrutality

Duke held onto Therea’s plush waist as she rode on top of him. It wasn’t his first time in bed with somebody by any means, but considering how long it’d been since the last time, it sure as hell felt like it. To him, it was a wonder that Therea would even shake his hand, much less climb into bed with him. He gave a grunt as he stopped overthinking to remember what was going on, looking up at her was difficult and almost embarrassing to him but he couldn’t bring himself to look away. His fingers dug into her flesh a little deeper, as he glanced down from her to watch his cock disappear into her.

He wished he had a better grasp of what he was doing, then he would do more for her in return. He gave a shuddering breath as she continued, allowing himself to feel pulses of pleasure as she moved on top of him, slick and swiftly. Trembling hands wandered up from her hips, up her sides, to her full breasts - which he did his best to massage.

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"Happy Holidays, Duke! I wasn't sure either you celebrate them or not, but I wanted to get you something either way." She proceeds to extend a shiny green bag with a bow. Inside there are brand new fishing lures and a bowie knife with a leather holster.

 Duke’s brow furrowed as he looked up at Therea and then back down at the bag. “For me? Really?” Akephalos and Buddy were usually the only ones who brought him gifts. “Ah, y’don’t gotta get gifts for me. Thank ya though.” He took the bag before digging through the contents. Grinning as he took a closer look at the lures, saving the knife for last. A low whistle as he took the hefty bowie knife from the holster. “That’s one mean lookin’ cutter, Therea. Thank ya again!! I gotta get you somethin’ now!”

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serpentinebrutality​:

To anybody else, Syntherea would have likely boasted more about her titles. Not with Duke, nor the rest of the group. She wanted to befriend them, not act superior around them. That attitude was reserved for the rest of her bethren - the ones she needed to intimidate. Her title of Empress had been forcefully taken from the last wielder of the shadows, so who was she to say no one would try to do the same to her? At least in Earth, she could relax some and forget about the ever-growing target on her back, sought out by the ones from the above, and so below. Her brows furrowed and she shook her head, hands gripping the fishing rod strongly. It was not the time to think about such things - all things considered, she was safe. She just had to keep believing she was safe.

Her expression relaxed some, albeit it seemed forced. At the very least, she was happy she hadn’t missed Duke’s words. “I’m not too used to venting. Synth barely had any worries about - well, anything.” There was a pause as she fidgetted with the muddy line and began twirling it around her finger, reading up to throw it out again. “I do hope someday you’ll feel comfortable to talk about that kind of stuff to me too.” Her shoulders suddenly tensed and her head turned towards him, eyes slightly wide as if she had just been caught stealing. “N-No pressure..!”

The tense shoulders dropped as she sighed to release some embarrassment, her arm swinging back at the same time before the bait was thrown. It actually fell into the water with a pleasing sound. Her hands both gripped the rod in stress. What now? 

She figured it was better to just keep the conversation going and act like she absolutely knew what she was doing. “Do you sell them at the local farmer’s market? I’ve heard of it, but haven’t had the chance to go there yet. I imagine Synth has met you there a few times, no?” Upon learning his age, a small smile actually grew on her lips. “I am aware the lot of you loved to pick on Synth for not being even a thousand years old, but I figure now it is my turn.” She paused, just so she could properly look at Duke upon answering. “I am a couple centuries past five-thousand. Right before hyeroglyphs became a thing.”

Her subtle smugness did not last long - there was a tug on her line, and her distraction caused her to stumble forward.

“Y’can always talk t’me ‘bout anythin’ you want. I ain’t here to judge.” Considering his nearly life-long friendship with Akephalos and his own history, he felt he had no place to tell people where they messed up in life. As stupid as a lot of humans and other demons tended to perceive him as, he liked to think of himself as seasoned; he wasn’t the oldest demon but he wasn’t quite so green either. “Real important for people t’talk ‘bout what bothers them and what they dream about. Otherwise, it jus’ bubbles up inside ‘til it comes out n’ leaves a mess. And that ain’t good for anybody.” When you lived as long as he did, you saw it again and again, and sometimes you ended up being in that mess. Maybe that was why he was so picky about who he hung around.

“See! That was a good cast!” Duke beamed, he was glad he was able to teach Therea something new today. “Go ahead and reel it in now, not too fast!” He reminded.

“That’s exactly what I do, but this kinda fishin’ we’re doin’ here is just for fun. Can’t catch much with just a single line. I use a net when I fish for work an’ I go to another spot. I like that part, but sellin’ is the annoying part. Lots of. . .loud personalities there. . .” He briefly wrinkled nose, “. . .but Synth is the only loud personality that ain’t unbearable.”

Snickering at the mention of teasing Synth for being the youngest among them, “Guess we can’t give ya shit for that, huh?” Right as he turned to look at Therea, he noticed resistance on her line. His eyes widened, glancing at Therea before urging: “Go on now! You got a nibble. Reel that boy in!” He swiftly reeled in his own line, carefully setting it down before he went to stand beside Therea in case she needed his help.

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Ideal body

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close ups of lilypads!!! 🐸

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reclaimed

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’Cause I’d rot in Hell with you  If you’d just ask me to  I love the shitty things we do together  Live with me in this sin forever Hell and you I know you want it too I say take the shot, see this chance Feel the fire and let me have this Dance with you

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serpentinebrutality​:

 Therea felt near-frozen due to the confusion she felt. It was a sentiment of insecurity, as if Duke would look at her like she was useless. She did feel his gaze on her, but it didn’t feel judging. Her eyes caught him just as he looked away. She looked at the tip of her nose for a moment, wondering if she had imagined it, then her head rose a little in attention. The best she could do was listen to him. 

 The mental image of a younger Duke amused her, a small smile growing on her lips at that. Albeit not taller than her, he was a well-built man with strong features, even if she couldn’t properly see his eyes most of the time. Imagining him as a child was harder than she thought. Syntherea wondered about asking, but was interrupted by Duke’s demonstration. Everything came so naturally to him, it made her a little envious. Then again, as he said, he had been at it for very long. 

 “Not thinking is a easy thing to say,” she mumbled, having grown used to the thundering noise inside her head over the centuries, “I stress myself out when I keep mentally repeating that I should stop thinking.” Therea watched the line be reeled in, trying to keep a note of everything Duke had done up to that point. With a sigh, she hooked her finger around the line, just like she had seen him do. Not too hard, not too softly, not too hard, not too softly-

Too softly. The bait was barely three feet away from her, nearly hidden in the mud underneath the shallow water. She didn’t even know how she had done that - one of those things she wouldn’t be able to do if she had wanted it to happen. That time, she simply took a deep breath and began reeling it in for another try. Her curiosity resurfaced, probably to hide the shame she felt.

“It’s good to know you’ve maintained a liking for fishing for so long.” Her brow furrowed lightly at the sight of the muddy bait coming into view. “Just how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 Duke was still a little shocked that somebody like Therea would want to hang around somebody like him. When it came to hierarchy, she was at least a step or two above him and likely had a direct line to Lucifer himself. Him, on the other hand, usually had to go through the king’s children in order to get to him and even then, it was always a coin toss of whether or not he’d get an answer back because it was also a coin toss of whether or not he was around to begin with. He was curious about whether or not Therea new where he was but it probably wasn’t best to bring up politics when they were both trying to enjoy themselves.

 “Wish I had more advice t’give ya, really. I’ve gotten pretty good at thinkin’ ‘bout nothin’ ever since I came up here. I try t’make sure I don’t have too much to stress about. One thing I know though, when I tried not to think about somethin’, it only popped up on m’head more. I know I don’t seem like th’type but when somethin’ bothers me, I talk about it. With Buddy and Ake, usually.” 

 He looked over at Therea’s fishing rod. “Ya almost got it. Throw th’line out with a lil’ more force next time. Otherwise, you ain’t gonna be catchin’ nothin. Don’t worry ‘bout it. Everythin’ takes practice. Even something like fishin’. I’m sure you ain’t gotta worry ‘bout fightin’ a fish to get it in though.”

 “Fishin’s fun. I started to get some cash t’fix up my place but I liked it. It ain’t much like work for me but goin’ out to sell ‘em is.” Duke had to think a little. He wasn’t usually asked for her actual age since the people he usually hung out with were aware. “Uh, four-thousand and somethin’, I think. You?”

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serpentinebrutality​:

 Therea had been looking forward to fishing - she really had - but the moment she was presented with the rod, which felt awkward to hold for the first few moments, she felt more confused than the first time she had tried to use the internet. She gave it a long look around, unsure of what most parts of it were even called. 

 She remembered seeing people fishing before, with much more simple rods than the one she had in hand. Mostly to feed her. It didn’t look that hard from afar, at least when she was sitting on the shade with someone tilting a bowl of water to her lips. The memories made her let out a small sigh. Easier times. In the swamp, there was no one she could trick into doing stuff for her. Plus, she had asked Duke to teach her. If she gave up so soon, that would be shameful.

 The promise that Sausage wouldn’t eat her was at least reassuring. She liked to think the gators were slowly becoming used to her. Still, Syntherea wasn’t quite sure she liked the thought of falling into murky water, especially because she would have to take the bus back home. To add to the issue, she tried her best to listen to Duke’s instructions, even holding the line with her finger as soon as he said the words, but from then on she got lost, the words mixing up in her head. It was easier done to him! She wasn’t sure what half those words meant.

 “I…” The demoness started, her gaze darting from the line in her fingers, the rod in her opposite hand, the bucket at her feet, back up to the line, and then finally she looked towards Duke, an utter expression of defeat on her face. “I have no idea what you just said.” It came out in an ashamed murmur right before anxiety began pouring from her lips. “How far do I pull my arm back? When do I let go? What’s- what’s reeling? What if I do it too fast and can’t find a good pace?”

 With a slump of her shoulders, she looked forward just to rest her forehead on the length of the fishing rod. “I’m sorry, I’m just… lost.” Therea turned her head slightly, defeat still present in her side-gaze towards Duke. “Can you show me first? I think that would help.”

 Duke gave a sympathetic smile as he watched confusion roll over Therea’s face, suddenly noticing how bespeckled her cheeks and the bridge of her nose were with freckles. He hadn’t paid much mind to them last time, he supposed. He wanted to point them out but didn’t want her to think he was staring at her. . .then he caught himself staring, glancing away briefly.

 This was Duke’s trade and it’d been his trade since the thirties or so. He didn’t need to eat but he knew other people did and were more than willing to throw a couple bucks his way in exchange for some fish. He wasn’t like any of the Warrens who accumulated hoards of wealth from their perpetual conquests and proceeded to sit on it whenever there was a rainy day; the Warren clan seemed to always be having a rainy day. He had a dog and gators to feed, a shack to maintain, and a car and motorboat to keep running and full of gasoline.

 “Yer thinkin’ too much. Don’t sweat it! You’re only startin’, yeah? I been at it since I was a kid and I still lose a fish every once in a while. Here. Watch what my hands are doin’.” He moved himself to stand to Therea’s left since that was the hand he casted with. “Make sure to look around and behind ya. You trynna catch a fish, not nobody’s fingers.”

 A thick, dirty finger hooked around the line, lowering the metal loop before whipping the fishing rod outwards into the water, the hook leading the way as he described. He began reeling it in, “Fast enough that a fish’ll see th’lure sparkle but not fast enough that he won’t bother chasin’. It’s supposed to look like a smaller fish to ‘em. And don’t feel bad if you can’t catch one. They’re trickier than y’think. Even the little ones get away from me sometimes. If y’don’t mind getting a lil’ dirty I can show ya how to snag a catfish.”

 He reeled the line along the remainder of the distance, no fish seemed to go in for the slightest nibble. Whether they knew a big, tasty, and inexplicably sparkly bloodworm was too good to be true or they simply didn’t notice, nobody would ever be able to tell. Duke returned to Therea’s right, “Go on now! Give it a go!”

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serpentinebrutality​:

 “That sounds like a challenge, Duke.” She returned the chuckle. “And I’m all up for taking up challenges.” Her gaze dropped, subtly, to the demon’s arms when he mentioned breaking an axe in a single swing. She could see why. As quickly as possible, the gaze returned to the other’s eyes. At least what she could see given his hair curtains. “Lets hope I don’t have as much arm strength as you do, then. Though I sincerely doubt it - I mostly garden instead of chopping wood.”

 Watching Duke go on a rant, especially when the both of them had settled with short sentences earlier in their meeting, was quite the experience for Therea. She was astonished at how naturally the words flew out and locked her into his speech. At that moment, she felt understood. She wasn’t alone in the way she saw humans, Duke had just put it in better words. Man is the biggest man-eater. Now that was inspiration she didn’t know she needed for her next poem. Unknowingly, her smile spread and her stare softened. It was a gaze of admiration that someone could easily mistake for adoration. When Duke interrupted himself, she almost felt sad he did.

 “Oh, no, no, don’t worry about that, at all! You just put my thoughts in much better words than I could.” Though she wasn’t exactly sure what a ‘pecker’ was. She watched the snake settle on her companion’s shoulders, apparently happy to be there given how it also rubbed against his cheek. “She appreciates the feeling. You’ll probably know when I’m around. Snakes tend to scope out their surroundings when they feel me nearby.”

 Syntherea nodded at his words right before offering a smile. “I’ll keep that in mind. I really enjoyed spending time with you, Duke. Until next time.” She then reached out to caress the swamp snake. “And see you soon to you too, my darling.” Therea began to step away from the dock, only to stop and turn around to face the murky waters, mostly focusing on the still-peeking Sausage. “And goodbye to you as well, lovelies.”

 The walk out of the swamp felt like a complete contrast to when she walked in. She felt weightless, despite her heels sinking into the mud a few more times. Perhaps, making friends wasn’t so scary. Who knew, maybe what Duke had to teach her would prove useful. Excitement made her speed up her steps towards the bus station.

 About two weeks later, after a few other visits to the swamp, classes had finally begun, and her excitement quickly turned into dread when she was presented with a cane and a fishing fly. Nervously, she fumbled with her ponytail. At least she hadn’t brought her heels for once.

 “What… exactly is casting a line and why do I feel that I’ll fall face first into the water and be eaten by Sausage before I know it?”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with gardenin’! Grow whatever ya want! Dirt here too mushy to plant veggies though.” Duke smiled. Not everybody needed to chop wood in order to cook or keep their homes lit up at night. Gardening was a useful skill to have and from what he’d seen, it was a hobby that suited Therea.

“I’ll make sure t’keep an eye on her t’see when yer comin’ ‘round then. I’m sure she’ll be really happy t’see ya again!” He watched as Therea reached out to give the small snake a farewell caress. “Th’gators would say ‘bye’ if they could! They don’t seem to mind ya much! Maybe ya’ll can be real good friends in time.” Sausage returned back to her place in the vacant motorboat.

 “And I’ll see ya ‘round! Can’t wait t’see ya again!” He chirped. The promise of more frequent company from somebody who he could easily get along with. Somebody who he didn’t have to water himself down for. . .

-

Ice rattled against the sides of a plastic cooler as Duke dug around to find a can of beer. “You ain’t gonna fall over. It’s real easy. Whole lotta nothin’.” A quote he’d adopted from the Warren clan. He shook the excess moisture off his hand before wiping the beer on his once-tan overshirt. “And Sausage ain’t gonna eat ya if ya fall. I won’t let ‘er!”

He shut the cooler and approached Therea, “This here is th’bail arm. You hold th’line with yer finger, pull back th’bail arm, whip the rod out and let go of th’line, and the weight of hook, bait, and th’tackle will pull it out far. Push th’bail back, and start reeling. Not too fast, not too slow.” Duke instructed. “Easier than it sounds, I promise.”

[gatorstinks]

:))

-

“…I’ll take your whole stock.”

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serpentinebrutality​:

“Sign language?” She offered a confused blink at first, until eventually the gears turned and she perked up. “Oh, I know sign language! What a relief. I wouldn’t want to make her have to write everything so I can understand her. And don’t go trusting your slipperiness. You never know how many arms someone actually has.” It was a relief to her that Duke was following along her jokes. The awkwardness from both of them had wavered, even if just slightly.

Therea opened her mouth to reforce the idea she was pretty terrible at most tasks, but chose to close it instead. Duke was willing to teach her. That meant she only had to try her hardest. Getting to know he too forgot certain things after so many decades living there was reassuring, too. “Thank you, Duke. That really helps. I’ll try not to break anything.”

 “Sadly, people would rather label gators as man-eating beasts over blaming themselves for swimming in waters that are clearly habitats for gators. But isn’t that the nature of humans? Invading, getting hurt and then blaming who was already there?” Therea shrugged softly. “If they get bitten by a snake, it’s the snake’s fault, even if the poor thing just lashed out of fear. They’re too small to even think of humans as food. The big ones, though…” A hint of an almost cruel smile crossed her lips. “Can’t blame them for eating humans. Given their size, anything they can gobble up is prey. Either it’s unlucky cattle or a human.”

 She tilted her head to watch the snake tilt its own for the delivered chin scritch. It even tried to slither further, perhaps hoping to slip onto the demon’s shoulders. “I think she would really appreciate that. She seems to like you. I think she can’t promise she’ll stay in the shack too long each time. This one is particularly curious about everything, it seems. A little explorer.” 

 The demoness found herself grateful that her questions weren’t see as annoying. She listened attentively, all until her eyes met the sun above them. Just from its position, she knew that it was time for her to pick up her own little explorer. If she took the bus, maybe Elizabeth wouldn’t have to wait more than five minutes. 

 “I’m sorry if this sounds abrupt, but I sadly have to leave. There’s someone I have to meet.” Her lips curved into a smile again. “But I really enjoyed spending time with you, Duke. If you don’t mind, I might show up a few more times along the week. I’ll try to call you in advance. You mind taking this little one for me? It doesn’t seem she wants to go back to the ground any time soon.”

“That’s good! Good thing t’know too!” He was relieved he wouldn’t have to translate, although he was always glad to, it did tend to complicate communication. Duke chuckled at her joke, “Just more hands to slip outta if ya ask me.” And here he was thinking he had to be formal with Therea. “Anyways, most of my supply is built to last a long time out in the woods. They probably won’t break unless you don’t know how to be gentle. Th’first time I chopped wood, th’handle broke and th’head out itself real deep in th’stump I was choppin’ on.” That was probably within the first few days of his arrival here on Earth.

“They do th’same thing with sharks. Man is th’biggest man-eater. An’ for what? Sugar? Bananas? Gold? Oil? Somebody in charge sendin’ lil’ boys who can’t even drink to die for it all an’ tellin’ ‘em? But it’s the animal that ain’t that smart, huh? Animal jus’ an animal ‘til it’s biting down on yer pecker, wrappin’ itself ‘round yer neck, or eatin’ yer baby.” He huffed, his tongue was moving a little too fast for his mind to keep up. His nose wrinkled. “They can’t even use the whole damn deer when they kill it either. Always gotta hunt more than they need and use th’rest for decora-. . .”

He paused, suddenly coming to the realization he’d been rambling: “Ah, sorry. I jus’ get. . .mad at ‘em.” Duke chuckled, turning back to the demoness. He reached a hand out to her little companion, allowing the snake to slither onto his hand and placing it onto his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she’ll get enough air, sun, and bugs t’eat.” Duke wouldn’t mind having another little companion around the house. The moths and his dog were the only other souls in the shack besides him. He wondered where Bubba had run off to but he was usually down just before sundown either.

“Don’t you sweat it, Therea! I don’t mind at all. It’s always nice to have company that can actually talk bacl. I’m usually home just after midday by th’way. You’re always welcome here! I’ll be sure to keep an eye on this lil’ girl for ya.”

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serpentinebrutality​:

 “Buddy…” Therea repeated under her breath before nodding once. “I’ll do my best to remember that. Synth seemed excited for me to meet her - I have no idea why, but I hope it goes well. I don’t want to act like I don’t enjoy her friendliness, I’m just…” She gestured with her hands before dropping both along with her shoulders. “Bad with excitement.” And touch. And people. She shook the negative feeling beginning to creep up on her before it could get a good grip. “I promise you I won’t wrestle you into a bath as long as you don’t try to one-up medieval peasants. But I will also let you know that if you do try that, I’ll have to organize an intervention.” It felt a little weird to be threatening Duke so soon into their meeting, but she hoped he could see by her little smile that she meant it in good fun.

 “Well,” Therea folded her arms underneath her chest to sheepishly scratch at her skin, “I hope you’re a patient teacher. I’ll try my best, I’m just unsure if my best won’t end up with a ruined dinner. Or a fire. Or a drought.” The more she talked, the lower her voice went. She tried to perk back up to offer Duke a thankful look. “I do want to learn though, so maybe I shouldn’t think so negatively. I doubt there’s anything I can do that you can’t, but if you ever need help with something, I’ll gladly help.”

 “They’re admirable, aren’t they? It always annoyed me, the bad reputation that people give reptiles.” She tilted her head for the sole sake of gently rubbing her cheek against the swamp snake, who responded with a rub of its own. “They’re always the bad guys in documentaries and people celebrate when they don’t get to eat. People call them less smart than mammals. What shocks me the most are the ones that call them gross.” Her companion hissed, as if it was listening to every word. “Serpents, crocodilians, lizards… Each are beautiful in their own way. People are just biased by fur.” Therea nodded to herself right before realizing she had just rambled. She muttered a quick apology before resuming the conversation. “Sadly, it does. It’s part of the reason I haven’t gone back yet. Tourists are a plague.” There was clear disdain in her voice as she rolled her eyes.

 Upon being met with an assurance of ‘protection’, the swamp snake stretched towards Duke as if trying to express gratitude, though it did not slither off Therea’s shoulders. “I’d really appreciate that. And I just might search the tall grass, then. I’ve read an interesting article about boas having begun to appear in swamps. I’d love to see that for myself. And don’t you worry about cleaning up, I’m not squeamish.” 

 “She is pretty large for an alligator - actually, she is larger than the crocodile that bit me. I’m sure of that.” The snake stretched further towards Sausage with curiosity, enough to nearly fall from the demon’s shoulders, but stopped upon meeting Therea’s palm against its nose, gently guiding it back towards her. “If the one back then nearly ripped off my leg, Sausage wouldn’t leave a chance to escape. I wouldn’t want to be the unfortunate soul who falls in these waters.”

 Therea seemed both amused and pleased by the way Duke talked about the gators - especially Sausage. It reminded her of how she addressed her own darlings. Small and deadly venomous, huge and with immense crushing strength, all snakes were precious in her eyes. Smarter than most humans, that was for sure. Even if snakes tended to be the reptiles’ runts when it came to intelligence. “Does she let you pet her? Or do the gators not like that kind of spoiling? What do they prefer to eat? Are there gator treats?”

 She paused and rose her head so she could look up at Duke from her squatting position. “Am I asking too many questions? Sorry. I’m just really curious about them.”

“Don’t worry yourself too much, Therea. Buddy’s real patient and sweet with people. You might wanna learn a little sign language by th’way. I dunno of Synth told ya that. I can also help translate if y’need it. Buddy just gets a lil tired writin’ everything on paper.” In his opinion, sign language was one of the best human inventions. It was nice for his sister to have a more efficient way of communicating with him, especially for urgent matters. Duke snickered, “I’m much more wily than you think. A little slippery sometimes too. I got my way of runnin’.”

“Don’t worry about none of that either. I ain’t never met nobody I couldn’t teach a thing or two. I’m sure you ain’t that bad. You ain’t gonna end the world if y’can’t start a fire. Even if y’been at it for years, y’still gonna get it right all the time. I still forget things back at home or somewhere in the woods. Things go wrong all th’time for no real reason. I’ll let ya know if I need somethin’.”

Duke didn’t watch much T.V. himself but he could imagine people painting alligators and crocodiles as villains. Maybe it was the lack of warmth and scales. The general public seemed to favor anything that was fluffy. “All animals gotta eat. Th’thing is that gators’ll eat anything they can get their jaws on. It ain’t their fault they can’t tell the difference between a man and a deer. People kill cows and pigs to eat, don’t they? But that’s a whole other thing, now ain’t it?” Shaking his head with disdain.

A dirty finger reached out to give the snake the tiny rub on the chin, “I’ll make sure she can still roam but I’ll try to make some space for her somewhere in the shack. We wanna keep her safe, don’t we. Yer always welcome to go lookin’ for more friends out here.” He chirped.

“Not at all! I don’t mind talkin’ ‘bout the babies. Sausage has always been a bigg’un, even as a baby, she was always heavier than the others. They all let me pet ‘em and some even like to cuddle as if they were puppies. You can be sitting out in the grass out here and they’ll just plop their big ol’ heads in your lap. They also like it when you scratch ‘em with a broom.” Duke explained, “As for treats, they just about eat anything they can get. Ain’t no such thing as treats for these big’uns.”

[gatorstinks]

serpentinebrutality​:

 The demon’s apology made her raise an eyebrow right before she began shaking her head. “Oh, no, no, you’re fine!” Her assurance was hurried, but the mere act of laying her hand on his shoulder matched his reluctance to nudge her side just moments before. “I mean it, truly. I want to get used to small touches, at least from people I know. I heard Corydon likes hugs… And I don’t want to be rude by getting all stiff and anxious if she does hug me…” Her voice lowered some and her hand retreated so she could scritch at the bridge of her nose before a lightly amused chuckle left her. “I dare you to try. I’ll tell Akephalos to bring soap. It’d be two against one.”

 Admitting she wasn’t too great at surviving on her own was an embarrassing step. Little by little she was growing more used to modernity, but not having a posse of followers worshipping the ground she walked on and feeding her with devotion felt off. Those times were long gone, she noticed. A small sigh followed her realization, though she did direct a small smile towards Duke. “I’d appreciate that a lot. You live here on your own, you seem like you can teach me a lot.” Syntherea paused then and cleared her throat. “If you want to and have the time. I don’t wish to impose.” 

 Her hand eventually stopped rubbing at the spot she had been bitten on so she could focus on admiring the view while Duke talked. Surprisingly enough, being out in the swamp was relaxing. She had expected it to be uglier, and that ignorance was recognized before she brushed away the expectations she had earlier. “Reptiles are instinctual animals, though intelligent in their own way. And the fact they can bond with people shows they’re not less lovable than a pet dog. You just have to respect the bite of a gator more than the bite of a poodle. I was invading that crocodile’s space by being in the river. I don’t blame it for trying to bite me.” She arched a dark eyebrow again, her small smile from before growing. “Maybe you should visit Egypt one day. Nile crocodiles are massive and beautiful. Though as you can see…” Her head tilted towards the snake still nestled against the side of her face. “I’ve always leaned more towards snakes.”

 “Now that I actually think about it, I don’t think I even got the chance to bond with them. One of my very first memories is of various snakes and cobras and vipers following me around wherever I went. Like a little serpentine army.” Therea laughed fondly at the memory, right before humming at Duke’s suggestion. “What do you say, little one? You want to come with me?” The swamp snake did seem to understand exactly what those words meant, given it rose its head high enough to look the demoness in the eyes before flicking its tongue. “Well, if you do like the swamp, it would just be cruel of me to take you away from it.” The snake laid over her shoulder, seeming satisfied with Therea’s conclusion. “If you don’t mind, Duke, I might have to visit more often if there are other snakes around. If you’re alright with that - I don’t want to invade your space.” Plus, it made for a great opportunity for the both of them to get to know each other better, though she didn’t know how to word that without seeming invasive. 

 Therea perked up with excitement when her ‘host’ began calling out to Sausage, though she soon realized to look at Sausage properly from the dock, she would have to crouch down. “Sausage sounds like she can pull her weight around here.” The corner of her lips twitched lightly and a breathy laugh left through her nose before she brought herself to actually mutter the words. “I admire that in a woman.” Though it wasn’t exactly the same, the glint of amusement in Therea’s eyes when she joked was reminiscent enough of Synth’s classical mischievous look. Maybe she also had a goofball side to her, hidden beneath the awkwardness she felt over hoping the joke wasn’t distasteful. She squatted with ease, her arms resting on her knees as she watched the boat nearly capsize with awe in her mismatched eyes. It had been a long time since the crocodile bite, but she dared say Sausage was even larger than the crocodilian she recalled. 

 “She’s beautiful.” The words left her with sincerity that surprised even the demoness herself. One of her hands moved, but it barely got to lift itself from her knee before it was planted back down. The touch of a stranger irritated her - how could it not irritate a gator? “Enormous, too.” Therea put one of her elbows on top of her knee so she could comfortably put her chin on her palm while the snake on her shoulders scooped out with its head towards Sausage, seeming almost curious about her too. “Has she ever had babies? She looks like the kind to be a protective mother.” A pause, then a curious look towards Duke. “Do you think she sees me as a guest or a meal?”

“Ah, but I really shoulda asked first. It woulda been more polite.” Duke felt a little more assured as Therea placed a hand on his shoulder, but he still couldn’t shake the guilt. “Ah, I can get it. Uh, she goes by Buddy more than anythin’ but I’m sure she don’t mind that. Just for when you meet her.” He used to use “Cory” when referring to his sister, he always had. Now he wasn’t used to that or her full name. When they came up here, the word “buddy” stuck with her. It suited her as she was the friendlier of them, “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you didn’t wanna hug ‘er though. Real gentle lil’ creature.”

“Ah no. Don’t tell me you’re gonna start trying to wrangle me into the tub too. Already get enough of that from everybody.” Duke looked back at his ramshackle little hut. It was sturdy and sound but the process of building it from the ground up would’ve thrusted any respectable OSHA inspector into cardiac arrest if they’d been there to witness it. “You probably won’t even need’ta build a whole house but I can teach ya a thing about outdoor cookin’, fishin’, settin’ traps, and little shelters.” It’d be nice to have somebody to share that knowledge with. Hopefully, Therea would work out to be a good student.

“That’s the beauty of ‘em, ain’t it? Livin’ by the rules they had in their heads the second they were hatched. Eatin’ and stayin’ alive. Nothing complicated. Y’know I ain’t even much of a master to’em. They ain’t dogs. I’m more like a next door wise ol’ neighbor. They respect me but I don’t own ‘em. That’s how it oughta be.” Duke watched over the other alligators for a minute, “Maybe. I ain’t much of a traveler. I don’t like crowds. I’m sure Egypt gotta whole buncha those.”

“I’ll be sure to keep a eye on that lil one for ya. Swamp gives as much as it takes and I’m sure that lil’ lady would like to see ya again. Tons o’ snakes round here if you go lookin’ ‘round the tall grass. They’d be happy to meet ya. Come ‘round whenever you’d like. I y’can, lemme know so I can tidy up around the place first.”

Duke giggled at Therea’s comment, “Boy, can she pull her own weight and then some. She’s always been real mean but that’s why she’s so big. Big girl don’t get that big livin’ off bunnies and fish. Big, mean, and beautiful. She’s always been th’star of th’show. She used to be as tiny, I could put her in my pocket if I wanted to. Dunno if it’s natural or not but she’s thrivin’ either way. I think she’s got herself a little legacy goin’. All kinda big but nowhere near as her. We’ll see if another big’un pops up down th’line.” 

 Clicking his tongue at Sausage again, he couldn’t look down at the animal and not be in total awe. In all the time he’d lived in the swamp, there’d never been another gator to rival her in size and viciousness. “So long as you hang ‘round me, you’ll be fine. She don’t bite nobody unless I give her the okay.”

[gatorstinks]

Credit to Tanto Yensen/mediarumworld.com