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Everyone is supposed to be preparing for their next mission.

But Elora is always prepared!

As a result, she's helping herself to a small portion of her carefully concealed stash of southern fire-wine instead.

This is all occurring with Elora bending about halfway into a paper gatefold closet, carefully tucked into an obscure corner of the Rock of Ages.

Serpent comes running down the hall and, noticing Elora, stops by slamming into the wall next to the closet. "Hey! Help me hide!"

Elora slams her head violently into the low ceiling of the closet at the surprising intrusion, simultaneously spilling her glass. "GAIA'S PUSSY!" she shouts in indignation, before simultaneously rubbing her head and looking out to see what's going on. "Hide you? What? Why?" She starts to look for a hiding place without waiting for an answer.

Serpent "Autumn is winning. I can't let him catch me this round."

Elora slides open one of the other doors, which opens into a rather dusty walk-in scroll closet, and signals Serpent to duck behind the scroll rack. Once they've both done so, it reveals a little non-obvious nook: space enough for each to sit comfortably at co-worker distance.

She seats herself, the bottle still in her off-hand, and starts to think through what Serpent just said. "...winning?"

Serpent "We're playing hide and seek."

"Hey, um, about the whole Delana incident..."

Elora blushes, but a little angrily. "What? What about it?"

Serpent "Sorry about that. I didn't expect to catch you, um, in media res."

He looks at the ground between his feet for a bit. "But, um, good show..."

Elora blushes harder, before closing her eyes and taking a gooood, looooong hit off the bottle.

"It, uh, it was... nothing..." she trails off.

Serpent "Mm."

"Hey, can you tell me something?"

Elora "uh..." she thinks for a moment before deciding it is PROBABLY safe to agree. "Yes. Yes I can."

Serpent "What's it like being a girl?"

Elora blinks, three times, and takes another huge hit from the bottle.

"What's it... what's it like being a girl."

Serpent "Well, since I'm gonna be one sometimes..."

"...I thought I'd try and, um, be good at it."

Elora stares for a moment, and blushes once more.

"Well. Uh. Um. It's like... uh." No, that won't work. "It's kind of like..." No, not that either. "Well, um. I've never not been one."

Serpent looks crestfallen.

"Oh."

"Wait, hmm, maybe... ....put this on."

He unclasps the chain around his neck and holds out a yellow jewel.

Elora's eyes bug out for a moment. "No no no! That's fine!"

"Um."

"Why don't YOU put it on, and I can tell you what you're doing that isn't girlish enough."

Serpent puts the chain back on, and holds it in his hand for a moment. As it warms to the temperature of flesh, he feels himself...changing.

Elora watches with a sick curiosity.

Serpent reopens her eyes, and inspects the results critically. Seems like everything is...more or less intact.

"So, here I am."

"Oh oh oh oh I have to show you this. Do you have a knife?"

Elora offers up her pocketknife without saying anything.

Serpent pokes her hand with it, rather firmly, to demonstrate how it won't penetrate the skin.

Elora boggles. "Now, see, that is NOT a normal part of being a girl."

Serpent "I didn't really think so."

Serpent "Anyway uh yeah, so, I turn into a girl sometimes."

Elora "That's very... unusual." She pauses for a moment. "Why'd you decide to do that?"

Serpent "It wasn't really my idea."

Serpent adjusts her jacket. It kind of bunches in the ...chest area. "I don't know if I like it yet."

Elora tries not to stare.

Elora "Well, I'm certainly glad that uh." Hmmm. "That you felt you could have this conversation with me."

Elora shakes the bottle, which is distressingly empty.

Serpent fumbles around in her pockets...drat this costume has no pockets...grasps the jewel again and digs a little paper envelope out of one of his pockets.

"Smoke?"

Elora wasn't expecting that question exactly. "Oh, no, no thank you."

Serpent puts the envelope away. "Sure. You just looked a little tense."

Elora nods.

Serpent "I know where my boss (other one) keeps some really fine white waterfall liquor, if..."

Elora nods. "That sounds good."


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