One Evening at Beelzebuddies

Nagana was trying to hide her blushing face, embarrassed in how she was acting in front of Becky but unable to face her to apologize or explain herself. Nagana had to calm down, but the sensation of Becky’s soft head against the serpent’s underbelly was still tingly! She simply couldn’t calm down! The entire situation was such a mixture of crazy and yet mundane depending on how you looked at it! Nagana decided to focus on getting her face back to normal, gently smacking herself as Becky announced that she was going to order food. Nagana nodded in agreement, not looking over until she heard Becky flinch at the sudden attendance of the two twin insectoids. The two must have startled Becky, something Nagana herself could understand.

With a bit of subtlety, Nagana would move the tail end of her body in between the Dipterai and Becky and form a small barrier. The serpent would lean over Becky in order to keep the flies' attention off of the avian and onto her, casting a shadow over her friend while the tail gently shook the two flies away from Becky to give her space.

“I just want whatever you got that has protein. Preferably no exoskeleton or spices if possible.” Nagana said in a gentle tone, keeping the two wait staff occupied for the moment. “And more drinks please…if you have egg yolks, that’d be great.”

With that, Nagana would lean back in her seat. She tried to give Becky time to recover, but left her tail in between Becky and the Dipterai without caring how it looked.

Nagana waited until the Dipterai twins were gone before letting out a sigh that might have accidentally sounded like a hiss.The tip of her tail tapped the cushion next to Becky, but Nagana didn’t seem to notice as she continued to think about what just happened. Thanks to the twins' distraction, it got Nagana’s mind off what just happened even for just a second. Becky didn’t know what she was doing, and while it might have been a bigger deal in Nagana’s culture, it probably was in Becky’s culture to be close like that. Maybe if Nagana phrased it right, it could almost be taken as a funny thing? Judging by the slight discomfort Becky clearly displayed due to her body language, Nagana figured it was worth giving a shot.

“Hey!” She said a bit louder than intended, “S…Sorry about what just happened. It’s not a big deal, but…eh…”

The serpent striker clicked her tongue, trying not to make things weird as she slowly raised her sweater just a bit to reveal a piece of her smooth underbelly.

“So…in Naga culture…touching or rubbing another Naga’s underbelly is…considered a…p…proposal.” Nagana said with red cheeks, pushing her sweater back down. “So I was just a bit surprised, y’know? I know you didn’t mean it…but hey, the way things were going there for a second, right?”

Nagana tried to smile it off, trying to push it behind her and think of it as something funny. If anything, she was more embarrassed by her reaction, and tried to get back on the good track they started out on.

“B-but…I didn’t dislike your hug.” The serpent muttered, scratching her cheek again as a way of expressing her nerves.

“So…what are Red Pulses anyway? Are they any good, or eaten them anywhere else before?” The serpent awkwardly tried to move the subject to something other than her embarrassing culture clash.

Nagana’s eyes widened a bit. Did Becky just speak normal for a second there? The snake couldn’t help but snicker to herself with the realization that Becky was starting to get used to talking with her, just as Nagana was starting to learn how Becky talks. The young bird usually had to speak slow and methodically, but near the end, the avian sounded natural! Without noticing, Nagana used the tip of her tail to scoot Becky closer to her, the serpent looking at her feathered friend with glee!

“Hey! You didn’t have to talk super slow just then! Looks like we’re learning from each other!” Nagana smiled, her fangs gleaming, but for the first time they looked fine rather than menacing. Nagana quickly shut her mouth when she noticed, but that smile was still on her lips. Becky asked where, if anywhere, she could hug her in the future if she wanted. Naga’s were solitary creatures by nature, even most tribes containing only a handful of individual Naga’s at most. The tribes spoke and were at peace with each other, but peace made many simply keep to their lands. Most affectionate gestures were reserved for proposals or for mating. For friends?

“There is one…” Nagana muttered as she rubbed her chin. “Can I pick you up for a second?”

Only if Nagana got Becky’s permission would she gently move toward Becky. With a delicate touch, Nagana would gently scoop Becky up off her feet and bring her close. Nagana’s snake eyes would be entirely focused on Becky, her tiny form in the palms of her hands. When Becky was close, the serpent striker would lower her face down and gently nuzzle her nose against Becky. While some species took that as a romantic gesture, the way Nagana looked after she pulled back let everyone know that such an action was not the case for her people.

“That’s how we greet our family and friends. We can smell each other's pheromones that way. I think it's kind of like business cards.” The snake muttered, unsure if that was an apt comparison.

Becky was shaking a bit in Nagana’s grasp, and the serpent pulled back a little. It was natural to be freaked out when being so close to what was essentially her natural enemy and their deadliest weapons being poisoned fangs, the mouth was probably the farthest place a bird would want to be. But Becky was genuinely trying, at least in Nagana’s eyes. And that meant a lot. So rather than be offended, the Naga figured the Avian had enough stimulation and began to lower her back to the seat. But just as Nagana was about to, the two waiters suddenly came out of nowhere, right in the snake's blind spot and basically yelled about the food! Instantly, both of the fighters flinched! Thankfully, Nagana was careful with her precious cargo, her hands tensing up, fingers curling in preparation to make a fist, but stopping before getting anywhere near Becky. When Nagana looked over her shoulders to find the two twins buzzing happily, she didn't mind letting her temper appear in her expression.

“Would you two mind? That’s the second time you two have surprised us.”

Nagana gently set Becky back down before turning on the two waiters. She didn’t say anything, but she raised herself up higher from her seat and crossed her arms. She was clearly annoyed, flicking her tongue between her lips at the waiters but holding back. They were kids…but scaring customers, and scaring herself and Becky, wasn’t something she was fond of.

“You’re clearly passionate, but passion without direction and patience only leads to flaws! You should focus your talents and learn to take the time to observe how to respond to the mood of the table. Your customers will be grateful, and you’ll become more effective in reading what their needs are. Hone your skills in observation, and you two will be excellent staff that will help this place's reputation grow.”

Nagana was…trying to sound nice, but she growled like a drill instructor giving orders to troops. It was a jarring sight; a muscular, sixteen foot Naga in a pink sweater and skirt barking at the waiters in a motivational manner!

Nagana didn’t like being snuck up on, but she was used to having a chip on her shoulder. Despite her scary appearance and the fact that she was a fighter by nature, the Naga had long ago learned that using her fists to solve situations only made things much worse in the long term. Heck, even short term it was a bad idea. Out in the Wildlands even the worst creeps travel in packs, and if you messed with one, then you messed with them all. In Tsubar, the best results were being civil, regardless of tone. Especially over something as simple as customer service.

Thankfully, the two insectoids seemed to understand her point. Nagana didn’t relax, but she didn’t push the matter either. The waiters were simply eager to please, and honestly meant no harm. So, the Serpent Striker simply watched as the waiters presented their food on the table. Nagana didn’t even look at her food as they set it down, just quietly watching them to really drive the point she made home. When they finally left, she clicked her tongue and leaned on the table. The table’s legs groaned supporting the serpent's weight, but Nagana didn’t seem to notice or care. She caught the head waitress watching her, despite her expressionless face. In the split second their eyes met, Nagana figured she was about to be asked to leave for scaring the waiters, but instead got some gratitude from the lead insectoid. For some reason, Nagana wasn’t surprised to hear this wasn’t the first time those waiters have had a talking to.

Becky had already begun to eat, but Nagana was still simmering down. Eating when she was heated usually made it hard to digest her food and upset her stomach. Plus, she didn’t quite feel up to unhinging her jaw in front of Becky just yet. The Avian would probably understand, but everyone stared when seeing a Naga swallow something for the first time. Instead, Nagana just watched Becky eat, surprised that the dish she ordered was actually a bowl of seasoned seeds.

Huh…that was the last thing I was thinking with a name like “Red Pulses”