voidtreckerexpress | Snakes on a Train [Open]

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Snakes on a Train [Open]

Who: Crowley [

salutosinedelectat], & YOU
Where: The Quiet Carriage
When: Fiddlesticks Week of Day 23
What: There's a giant snake in the quiet car.
Warnings: Snake

I.

It had only been a few days since Aziraphale and Crowley had become a little more honest with one another, but new things were often quite exciting and the train itself didn't really allow for proper exploration of those things. That is, at least, if you were two supernatural entities who weren't really fond of human-typical PDA (Crowley would argue, of course, that it could tarnish his very cool and mysterious image if he was caught publicly whispering sweet nothings to one very sweet angel.)

Being seen together wasn't the problem. Crowley wasn't ashamed to be seen with Aziraphale and was certainly not ashamed to be known as his significant other (Quite proud, actually... have you seen Aziraphale?), but there were just things better suited for privacy, the problem was securing a private spot whenever they'd wanted one. Fortunately, Crowley hatched a plan.

The demon was well aware of the social prejudices that came along with snakes (If you ask Crowley, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the top comedies of its time.), and would happily use it to his advantage. Luckily, people on the train loved to talk, and so with very little effort of his own he'd spread rumor that there was a rather large one trapped inside of one of the private rooms, and it was best to keep away. When feeling up to it, he'd play the role himself, taking the proper form of a serpent and coiling up into the center of the room, right within view of the window. Being a serpent wasn't exactly Crowley's favorite form, far from it, but when he was one he was rather large, easily the size of a giant anaconda; jet black with orange-red markings down his belly, and of course, golden eyes that he usually kept tucked behind sunglasses.

If someone looked into the room, they'd likely see those eyes staring right back at them. Otherwise, the room is empty except for a book and a teacup set aside that the snake is definitely not interested in.

[Illustration by Skree]

II.

Other occasions required a little more enginuity. Aziraphale and Crowley would frequently occupy the space together, and unless the angel felt inclined to recline across a pile of Crowley himself, Crowley would reassume his human form for them to chat or otherwise enjoy each other's company.
The window, in this situation, was the problem. Clever as always, a large paper was taped over the window that read: GIANT SNAKE: DO NOT ENTER.

[OOC: Aziraphale has open threadjacking permissions for this post!]

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Having heard the rumor of a large snake in the quiet carriage, Trowa felt it was important to investigate. So far, none of the animals on the train had posed a threat to each other or the passengers, but one could never be too sure. He had left Amira in Quatre's care for the time being, wanting to make sure they were both safe just in case. He peeked into the windows until he saw the large golden eye staring at him. So he stared back. Not blinking, not flinching, just...staring.

Crowley had actually begun to doze off then he got the itching feeling that there was someone watching him. Noticing the shadow covering the door, his head poked up curiously from the rest of his body, gold eyes looking forward and staring right through his guest. A tongue flicked out, smelling the air, and then Crowley's head settled back down into a pile of himself, eyes still staring forward.

Seeing that the snake didn't seem overly threatening, Trowa slowly opened the door of the cabin. "Hello." Was it weird to talk to a snake? Absolutely. But on this train he'd learned the bizarre was standard fare.

The angel must have left the door unlocked when he went on his errand. Crowley hadn't noticed, and the door being opened startled him just a bit. His head shot up from where it had been laying, and his hissing filled the room. With his head held high, it was easy to see just how big he really was.

'What do you want?'

The serpent's mouth didn't move as it talked, but it's voice filled the air, a choir of echoes and whispers that burrow into the listener's skull.

The reverberation of the voice made Trowa blink a little in surprise, but not much else. He had a green roommate, for crying out loud. "Mostly to make sure you're not about to snack on any pets or passengers on the train. I have friends I care about, and a very sweet little cat that I don't want eaten."

If a snake could raise an eyebrow, Crowley would be doing it. Rather presumptuous of Trowa to say such a thing, but it goes with the territory, the serpent supposes.

"Ssso, which isss it?" he asked, already annoyed at the way his lack of a human mouth made him hiss with every S-sound. "Have you come as a sssacrifice, then? Or isss there sssomething elssse on the menu?"

Trowa let the knife up his sleeve drop into his palm. "I'm not on the menu at all. But the kitchen is pretty well stocked, at least if you like bacon. Do you have someone with opposable thumbs that could make you some or are you asking for assistance?"

The glint off the metal of the knife certainly caught the serpent's attention, but he had no other reaction to it. His head rested lazily on the rest of his body, and he yawned wide. A good set of fangs in that mouth.

"I sssuppose you could put that knife to good ussse in the kitchen, if you're willing." he hissed.

As the scene takes place, Aziraphale returns to the quiet coach, tea and small pastries lying on a plate in his hand.

He approaches the door rather nonchalantly, but seeing another figure in the room causes him pause. The whole point had been to keep people away, and last time he checked, people weren't that keen in entering a room with a giant snake...

For some reason, he knocks, before making his way in. "Excuse me."

Trowa looked up as the door opened, keeping the handle of the knife in his palm but not drawing the blade. "Hope you know there's a large snake in here."

"There's also a rude teenager in here, mind him on your way in." Crowley hisses, nuzzling back into a pile of himself where he had planned to take a good long nap prior to being interrupted.

Aziraphale closes the door behind him and looks between the two of them. Clearly, Crowley's given up on the whole being-a-scary-beast-to-frighten-away-any-possible-intruders bit. Aziraphale has also not yet noticed the knife.

"Erm. Yes, I'm aware." He answers Trowa's comment instead, giving him a polite smile. "There's a-" He turns, pointing towards the door's window. "-A sign. For safety."

"I know, I saw." Trowa's face betrayed nothing as he looked at Aziraphale. "I wanted to make sure the snake wouldn't be a threat to any passengers or pets. They seem well mannered enough." He was no expert on snakes to know if the large reptile was male or female.

Well mannered enough makes Crowley scoff... if a snake could scoff of course. All that really shows on the surface is the irritable flick of a tongue and twitch of a tail.

While the demon is in no way concerned for the angel's safety (he can very well defend himself, if needed), he feels the need to poke at the embers of the situation, and slithers closer to Aziraphale, not quite crawling onto him.

"Mind the weapon in his sleeve." he hisses.

Aziraphale looks down at the serpent, then back up at Trowa. "Weapon-" And now he notices the glint of it near Trowa's palm.

"Oh-oh, my dear boy, there's no need for that. I assure you the serpent is quite harmless."

With a flex of his wrist, the knife is back in its sheath up his sleeve and out of site. Trowa shows his empty palms to the snake and the man. "I'm aware of that now. I just had to make sure, first." His voice was completely calm and almost devoid of emotion, much like someone commenting on the color of the sky, or the day of the week.

If only the serpent could huff. Crowley wonders for a moment if he should bother asking the fellow if anyone has ever barged in on him while he was napping, pulled a weapon and asked if he intended to eat any beloved creatures anytime soon, but he was sure it would be pointless. He did, however, make a mental note to maybe do that one day... in another form.

Instead of wasting any more time arguing, he very slowly begins to slither on past Trowa and onto his angel's lap, resting his head there on Aziraphale's thigh while the rest of him coils near his feet.

"Well, there you are then. No harm done." Aziraphale's Polite Smile continues on, attempting to muffle out any sign of discomfort. Or any comments about how it's quite rude to just pull out a weapon on someone while making assumptions. But the young man seems reasonable enough, so the angel gives him a pass.

He glances down at the serpent, apparently surprised that he just went ahead and slithered on over to him so boldly. He sets his plate down on the bench.

"Is there anything else we can help you with?" Sounding totally natural, of course. Nothing to see her. Just a person and his friendly giant talking serpent.

Trowa shook his head, a twinkle of amusement in his eye at how the snake behaved with this man. "Not at all. I'll excuse myself now, thank you." With a nod of his head, he opened the door and stepped out of the cabin.

Aziraphale smiles and nods back, watching the young man leave and waiting a few seconds after the door closes. He then snaps his fingers and the door locks, as well as suddenly now sports a curtain that covers the window.

"Well. That wasn't too bad, I suppose."

"All day with thessse humansss... no one'sss taught them mannersss." he hisses, coiling loosely around the angel and tucking in for a nap.

Aziraphale sighs quietly, leaning back against the seat, gingerly so not to disturb the serpent, and picking up his tea.

"Perhaps this plan wasn't quite effective..."

Crowley would normally argue this point, likely take offense to the idea that his plan wasn't brilliant. But right now he was much too tired to complain, instead drifting off in serpentine slumber.

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