→
if he had feet, he'd be on the back one. )
❛ just 'snake' is fine. i'm uh, here on behalf of governor foxington, 'pparently the two of you've been in talks recently?
( he sounds like he's practiced being polite. straightening up, he fixes his hat & collar with his tail. )
( the ignored phone call, the look on the wolf's face, & especially the wrong name he gets called don't inspire confidence. snake is certainly rattled ー not AFRAID, he's tangoed with much bigger & badder than jimmy crystal without even flinching, but definitely at a loss.
→
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to give his tail something to do, he idly swishes the booze around in its glass. )
❛ i mean, heyー you can relate, right pal? nobody's HAPPY to see you. no offense or anythin'. but... fuck, more'n fifty years of everybody treating you like a monster really wears you down.
( ... shit. that tracks, he's not sure why he thought he could get anything past death. snake swallows thickly, & sighs, & turns back to the drink in front of him, taking a deep sip. )
❛ guess i was just tired of bein' hated.
( his mutter is uncharacteristically soft.
→
[ it'd be surprising how many times death has sat down to speak to assholes .
they're always the interesting ones . ]
.. such a change in your life . be honest , serpent . 𝐰𝐡𝐲 .
❛ shitー
( he wasn't expecting it to poof into existence onto his head, making him wriggle & splutter until he wrangles the shirt onto the tip of his tail. like a hanger. )
❛ hey, alright. that's exactly what i was thinkin' of, that's pretty impressive.
He tries to see what he’s thinking of…
And so, the same shirt he was thinking in his head would now fall right onto his head, fulfilling his needs!
“There we go!”
( there we go, it comes back around in the end. snake's brief confusion settles into self-satisfied smugness. )
❛ ah-hah. & rabbits are just as cute li'l bundles of joy as guinea pigs are, so if we're gonna be good guys, those're off-limits to both of us. agreed?
( snake has the distinct feeling that he shouldn't be here, but apparently, this is part of the 'good guy' rebrand ー doing LEGITIMATE business, with legitimate businesspeople. uncomfortably, he watches a couple of paces back & forth.
then clears his throat, loudly. )
❛ yup. got a special li'l lady at home, one who's actually got feet, who'd look great in those.
( he has no such thing. he's going to immediately flip them for a profit. )
❛ you're right. i don't.
( now he does turn his head to look at death ー not in the eyes ー with one eyebrow slightly arched. since when does the grim reaper stop by to sit & chat?
& with an asshole like him, of all people? )
❛ but, hey, i'll hear you out. let's talk, then.
[ something in death resonates with his words , snake & him share a common balance line . old with a touch of grump . ]
oh , i'm 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 it was for his sake .
[ pursing lips & nodding ... ;
❛ lemme see... try this one on for size.
( he can't help it ー the dragon's instant smile & eagerness to help are really endearing. snake closes his eyes, & holds in his mind the clearest image he canー
of a REALLY NICE aloha shirt he saw in a shop window one time. )
❛ sure is, a damn shame. me & all the guys i run with, we're all pretty bottom of the barrel types ー they used to call us 'the bad guys' 'cause they thought we couldn't do any right ー so i've done some stealin' from the rich in my day. lemme tell you, it's satisfying.
❛ ... wolf. those are meat. that makes you a carnivore.
okay okay okay ー if someone COOKED a rabbit, just a regular dumb rabbit hoppin' around on four legs. in a stew or somethin'. you'd eat that, right?
❛ co-signed. rich people are dicks, & you'd have to be a real asshole to steal from the less fortunate ー uh, pardon my language, ma'am.
... 'sides, their stuff isn't nearly as nice. ( he's kidding. )