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VI: Thorn of a Rose

Terminus: Containment Facilities

Oct-18th, 2034, 23:28

The Pilot

Rooker slowly closed the reinforced doorway leading out of the observation wing. Since his outburst, he managed to change into a fresh set of clothes in the hopes of hiding any evidence from Rose. He had traded out his weathered bomber jacket for a white tank top and shorts—the captain now owed him a couple of new gun holsters. Sure, his weapon of choice as of late had been his fists, but he just felt so naked without a pair of large revolvers strapped to his body.

Within the containment facility, he always made sure that a weapon was hidden close by, especially when certain unwelcomed individuals decided to pay his viper a visit. As for Rose, he did his utmost to keep weapons out of her sight, at least the ones that belonged to his ever-growing stockpile. Admittedly, there was a time when he had contemplated on teaching her how to shoot a gun, but that was when he'd also thought that vipers developed at a similar rate to humans, choosing in ignorance to wait until she was older. Sadly, she soon associated the steadily rising, graduated marks along his door with the crushing realities of her genetic code.

Hiding things from Rose became much easier once she outgrew her old room and the observation wing altogether. How she cried when the realization finally struck her that she could no longer squeeze her ever-widening hips through the doorway—those were hard days, and they only got harder. Nevertheless, he tried to make her comfortable in her new living space, but she ultimately missed her flowery bedspread, the warm lamplight, and curling up in his arms for storytime.

Without access to firsthand experience, Rose relied on the experiences of others to shape the terrifying world that existed outside of Terminus—books, movies, and magazines. She loved learning, and Rooker was happy to supply her with any and all sources of information that he scavenged while out in the field.

As for the sign language, that stemmed from the scientists’ desire to pick apart her blossoming brain for information and rectify a communication barrier that had been implanted in her genome since birth. Of course, she accepted this newfound skill with open arms; however, she was treated more like a caged animal back then, despite her readily apparent timid nature, which contrasted the patchwork documents compiled about her kind.

To this day, it still amazed Rooker how quickly she had warmed up to him despite their troubled beginnings. Stockholm syndrome was no laughing matter, but over the years, he’d like to believe that their relationship went a little further than that. He was her guardian and protector, and she had indeed grown on him in more ways than one within that timeframe. But that was ultimately the source of most of their problems—her unwieldy size.

Before departing the observation wing, Rooker had bundled together an assortment of medical provisions in order to treat Rose’s wound, transporting them within the confines of a worn, leather satchel. He also carried a large pillow and set of blankets, which largely blocked his view as he turned to make his way towards the tapered staircase leading back to the central courtyard. Unfortunately, in his renewed haste, a misguided step at the top of the metal walkway threw the man off balance and propelled him violently forwards.

“Son of a—"

His saving grace came in the form of a winding appendage, which wrapped around his right arm, pivoted him through the air, and guided him onto a crimson shoulder. While the satchel somehow remained fixed around his waist, the blankets now found themselves draped across a striped snout, and the pillow wedged itself firmly between a pair of feminine assets, their owner’s single exposed eye widened with concern for the startled rook now perched safely on her shoulder. The forked tongue receded as the man latched himself onto several of the exposed canards lining her long neck, which fluttered as a result of her movements.

Twin fists came forward and stretched across his ward’s chest—

[Are you safe?]

And proceeded to compact the dainty pillow, which exploded and covered the pair in a shower of downy feathers. The viper’s scales around her face tightened in her own version of a blush, Rooker’s cheeks followed soon after. The edges of Rose’s wide hood vibrated with embarrassment within the confines of the rocky corridor and as a result of her hunched posture.

“R-Rose…why are you over here? I thought that I told you to submerge yourself in the water basin and wait for me to return.” Rooker tried to save face but failed to quell the red sea that had flooded every square inch of it.

[I was worried that something had happened. You took too long, like always.]

The viper trailed the remark with her best attempt at a shit-eating-grin. Rooker couldn’t help but smirk at the gesture. It always amazed him how expressive the viper could be when she was in the mood to do so.

“Ha! Sorry about that, Rose. I'm afraid that I got a bit sidetracked. However, the issue has been resolved and we can now tend to that wound on your hip.”

Rooker took hold of the displaced sheets and quickly folded them back up as the viper tilted her massive head to the side in response. The hands continued to dance at a safe distance in front of the pair.

[Issue? I heard loud noises coming from my…old room. Did something happen to the tiny ape?]

It seemed like the added distance between Adrian and Rose had allowed her to suppress some of her earlier negative emotions, and she seemed to have even given the doctor a pet name. Regardless, the pilot’s instincts took over and told him to walk the line with half-truths; there was no sense in throwing her into another downward spiral.

“Adrian is just fine; he’s just having trouble getting acquainted with his new life outside of New Providence. He was very tired and had to settle in for the night.”

[You…didn’t show him anything in my collection? He didn’t have very nice things to say about me—like most humans. I don’t want him making any wrong assumptions.]

The skittishness and nervous gesture returned as the viper’s hood drooped, throwing Rooker off balance. However, Rose was quick to pivot her shoulder and draw him into herself and avert disaster. The viper smelled of wild herbs and earthy tones, mixed with the fragrance of perfume, which she had recently come to insist that he supply her on a regular basis—vanilla and cinnamon spice were her favorites. Luckily, he had a supplier in his back pocket.

[Sorry…you didn’t answer my question though.]

Rose was not pitching him any softballs tonight. While he knew that the truth would come out sooner rather than later, the pilot figured that a bit of misdirection would allow for it to come at a more opportune time. Thankfully, she had unknowingly given him an out.

“And what wrong assumptions would those be, girl? That behind all of those muscles and hardened exterior, is a kindhearted woman, who also has a bit of an artistic streak working in her favor?”

His reply had the desired effect as a ghost of a blush burned its way through the crimson armor and the towering viper’s demeanor followed that of a shy schoolgirl attempting to speak to her first crush. Rose’s gaze fell to her chest before her eyes ballooned in size.

[Oh! I’m sorry about your pillow, Rooker. I got a little carried away with my hand gestures.]

Rose quickly fished out what remained of the pillowcase and slowly handed the pilot its lifeless corpse.

“Uhm…thanks, Rose. Don’t worry about it. Now, let’s head off to your sleeping quarters and tend to that wound. Should be enough space there along with sufficient running water should we need it.”

The viper nodded and forced her way down the remains of the cramped staircase, carefully returning Rooker to the ground on the outskirts of the courtyard. After Rooker took stock of his belongings, discarding the useless pillow to the side, he made an attempt to proceed forward, however, he was quickly intercepted by a scaled hand that blocked the entire path. The viper looked down at her caretaker before she raised both of her hands.

[I thought that we could maybe…hold hands along the way? I could carry the blankets in my other hand. But-only-if-you-want-me-to.]

The last series of gestures were fired off in quick succession, with the viper immediately breaking eye contact, finding solace in the stone walkway, and linking her hands behind her back. The finer scales shifted in place and seemed to glow as a result of the overhead lighting. She then closed her eyes and seemed to brace herself in anticipation of his response.

“Yeah, sure thing, Rose. Uhm…and thanks for offering to help.”

The viper’s eyes shot open and glistened as Rooker allowed one of her hands to quickly swallow up one of his own (and a good portion of his forearm for that matter), while the other carried the blankets with ease. Rose was of course gentle, but time away always required a transition period when it came to the finer mechanics of their interactions. While far from uncomfortable, Rooker was left to raise his arm somewhat as Rose did her best to meet him halfway.

If a snake could ever possess a bounce in their step, it was now as her coils glided back and forth across the courtyard. While Rose took the lead, she glanced down every so often to make sure that her little caretaker was still in tow. Despite the painfully slow pace for her, the viper seemed to be relishing every moment of their interaction. Rooker couldn’t help but find himself reciprocating her warm gestures at first, but a dark cloud soon hung over his head as his mind linked it back to Rose’s destroyed artwork, which now lay in tatters on a workbench in his private quarters.

As for Adrian, he had left him on the padded floor of Rose’s old room. While he did return to check that the other man hadn’t suffered a serious injury before he left the observation wing, he refused to outright move Adrian into Rose’s bed. Call it anger, call it apathy, it didn’t matter. The doctor would sleep on the floor and learn that his actions had consequences out here. Besides, Rose thought that the foam padding was rather comfortable on her scales and made him sleep on the ground with her on occasion, so there were far worse places to sleep in the world.

Rooker looked up to his viper momentarily, catching her beaming gaze as they continued towards the courtyard.

Of course, Rose was a lot smaller back then, but that innocent and carefree smile was there—how he had come to miss it.

He hadn’t lied to Adrian when he told him that many within Terminus had at some point taken advantage of her, brutally at times. In the far past, he would stand by and watch, or gladly take part when one spoke of some of their earlier interactions. However, as her level of intelligence was understood and her neonate body initially probed for scientific gains, his role transformed from that of a faceless sentry, to a strict warden, and then finally to a loving guardian.

Yet no single person could fulfill the needs required for holistic and healthy development. Yes, her physical wellbeing, aside from a few rather personal scars, was never tarnished. However, her overall self-concept was stifled several times over. On all accounts, the fault ultimately lied with him, as it very well did today.

While he'd been handpicked for Adrian’s extraction, he had mistakenly believed that Rose would be left alone outside of the necessary daily injections, given who he had tasked with looking over her. With that Vahlen bitch’s final departure from Terminus and Hoffman’s apparent added responsibilities in her wake, one would think that this would be even less of a concern. However, if the prickly kraut couldn’t keep his hands off of Rose before, why would he suddenly have a change of heart now? Furthermore, when it came to Rose herself, Fahlström had been right about one thing: the viper looked to no one but himself for comfort as of late. It was time for things to change, and Adrian was likely the key to all of it.

Shit.

The man couldn’t even get that part right. The doctor likely hated him at this point and frankly, he couldn’t rightfully blame him. Even now he was wallowing between justifying and condemning his own actions. Yes, Adrian had gone after Rose and destroyed something that she held near and dear to her heart, but looking back and witnessing the other man’s episode, the doctor clearly suffered from underline psychological issues that were somehow linked to vipers. With threads of remorse now seeping into his veins, there was no question that the pilot had overreacted, and in doing so, likely jeopardized everything.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg, as there was still to be an investigation, and Rose’s life was still at risk. Rooker had neglected to even mention this fact to her, instead relying on soothing words, which kept her in the dark and would ultimately come to save nobody. She had likely killed, and while he was still uncertain of the details himself, he knew that many within Terminus wouldn’t even care if she was innocent. Despite his best efforts to suppress the uncomfortable thoughts, Rooker’s mind kept relaying him images of that blood-soaked pillar, a scene that now hovered just out of his view.

Rooker had planned for such a contingency but knew that a life outside of Terminus would not bode well for Rose. As much as he loved her, she had no experience when it came to surviving out in the wilderness, and the chances of being discovered by Advent would be increased tenfold. It would be a cold day in hell before he’d let the Elders take control of her body and turn her loose against the Resistance.

Rooker felt himself reach for a phantom flask along his waistline. All the stress was finally getting to him and he needed some form of release soon, or he would only jeopardize Rose’s chances of making it out of this even further. He couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that he was a failure, a joke, and an all-around terrible—

The man collided face-first into a wall of milk-white scales, imprinting himself momentarily within the surprisingly doughy surface. Upon revocery, he noticed that Rose had stopped and allowed him to carry forward in an arc until their bodies met. Being this close meant that the viper had to look over her ample chest to address the confused human that stood before the underside of her monolithic tail. She released him from her grasp and lowered herself by a significant margin, setting the blankets on the ground to address her caretaker.

[Rooker, where were you going? We’ve made it to the far edge of the basin.]

Upon further inspection, Rose was indeed correct. They had followed the narrow path along the water basin and to the secondary entrance opposite the waterfall. While small by Rose’s standards, the entryway still stretched nearly fifteen feet from the ground—he had measured its height down to the inch for Rose’s benefit. Although, as of late she preferred to use the ledge nearest the waterfall to make her grand entrances and exits.

“Oh, I…yeah. Sorry about that, Rose. I'm afraid that I did space out there a little bit.”

The flexible sail fell to the viper’s shoulders.

[Your pheromones shifted; I sensed them in the air. You…were thinking about what I did, weren’t you?]

Her large tongue flicked in his direction for added emphasis while the viper dipped her head to the side. Rooker’s instincts were now telling him to dodge and he continued to blindly follow them.

“No Rose. I was just thinking about something that Katarina said while I was detained in an effort to make it back to you.”

The great hands tightened into fists and Rose’s eyes narrowed to slits. He immediately regretted bringing Kat’s name into the conversation.

[What did that bitch tell you?]

“Did you...just sign what I thought you signed?” Rooker couldn’t hide the shock in his voice as he too sensed the rising static in the air.

[What did the captain tell you, Rooker? Did she call me a monster, an alien, or perhaps a crazed animal that didn’t know any better?]

While Rose didn’t have a voice to add further weight to her questioning, the ferocity in which her claws sliced through the air was enough to cause even her caretaker to consciously take several steps backward, which only angered the viper further.

[That because I’m a hybrid, I can’t feel the same pain that humans can while I’m drugged and forced to undergo surgery against my will! Don’t you dare stand there and lie to me, Rooker. What did she tell you?!]

Rose had reached her full stature at this point. Her hood splayed wide and was displayed alongside a set of fangs and alien symbols, which shone as though they were hot coals. The mood swing was intense and came out of nowhere. This wasn’t Rose, he had no idea who was currently addressing him. His eyes immediately traced a nearby alcove, which housed one of his hidden weapon caches. No. He would disarm her with his words before it ever came to that. He craned his neck to address his viper.

“Rose, calm down. I promised that we would talk this over, but not before we get that wound of yours—”

Rooker never got the chance to finish as her wide tail knocked the wind out of him and wrapped around his torso. A single set of coils held the pilot effortlessly in place as Rose lowered herself to address her guardian.

[You promised that I would be safe under her care while you were gone! You promised that that pig of a man would leave me alone, and I do not doubt that you’ll promise that she is going to be the one to fix all of this?!]

The coils tightened and the man felt all of the remaining air leave his lungs.

[I trusted you, Rooker, but you can’t even tell me the truth about what happened in the observation wing? I tasted his blood on your arm when I rescued you at the staircase.]

“Rose, please…just listen to—”

[Do you think that I’m stupid? That I can’t figure out that you brought another one of them in here? Does the time that we’ve spent together mean anything to you, or are you just in it to watch me suffer?]

The viper pulled her upper torso back in order to appraise her prey from a distance, which continued to struggle in her vast coils. Rose’s eyes had since glazed over and her shudders appeared to stem from nothing but built-up anger. The canards stuck straight out and their sharp edges reflected off of the overhead sunlamp. It took a lot to make the pilot afraid but he had finally reached an inflection point and his body responded accordingly.

[Do you not even care anymore? Why won’t you even answer me?!]

Rooker was too far gone to give Rose a coherent response. Instead, he let out a sharp wheeze as the coils refused to give him a single inch.

Not receiving an adequate answer, the viper’s rage reached its peak as it let out an inhuman hiss and drove one of its massive fists through a nearby rockface, which exploded and showered fragments across the grappled pair. Rose remained unscathed, but Rooker took a sizable chunk to his forehead, which cut through the tender flesh and exposed warm blood to the air. The pain was immense and nearly blinded him in the process.

The forked tongue reacted to the change in pheromones instantly, albeit far too late. Rose’s demeanor suddenly changed as her eyes widened and she finally realized what she had done to her caretaker.

[Rooker...Rooker, please talk to me…]

The coils loosened and slowly laid her caretaker on his back, who was left greedily gasping for air as his lungs were freed of their constraints. He soon reoriented himself, only to witness Rose in the middle of a panic attack and surrounding her lower torso in a protective blanket of scales with her hands seemingly left on autopilot.

[No-no-no-no. I didn’t mean to take things that far. Why did I just do that? I just…I have no idea what I’m doing anymore?!]

She shut her eyes and tried her best to hold back the tears, but the flood gates eventually opened and the self-pacifying gesture returned in full force. The frequency of her breaths quickened and her great body shook. Her petals laid themselves flat and her hood soon followed.

Rooker had since gathered enough strength to right himself onto shaky legs. He slowly dragged his body towards his viper until he found himself scaling the same coils that had almost spelled his demise. Rose’s caretaker then sat down and took hold of her nearest hand with both of his, intent on moving the red mass into his lap as he leaned his back against her wide frame. Thankfully, she humored him as he began to slowly massage the clawed appendage. A deep sigh from on high quickly followed amidst her lengthening breaths.

“Neither do I, Rose. I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long. I thought that I was only protecting you, but it has become abundantly clear that doing so has had the complete opposite effect.”

Rose moved her hand away in order to address the pilot.

[How can you even stand to be around me after what I just did? I’m…everything that they say I am.]

The same hand then moved back to hover in front of Rooker, who turned to look into Rose’s eyes, which were still in the middle of producing small rivers filled with hopeless worry, as if he would close up shop and reject her gesture right then and there. Rooker would've had to be some sort of monster to let her tread through these murky waters alone. The man turned and brought her hand back to his lap, where he began to massage the joints and draw small circles across her more delicate patterns.

“Because despite how much I’ve been shirking my duties as of late, I still care for you, Rose, even more so since all of this has come to light. That is if you can find it in your heart to forgive me for my shortsightedness and personal shortcomings.” Rooker then let go of the hand to allow Rose to respond.

[Hiding the truth is one thing, Rooker, but I nearly just killed you. I was blinded by anger and didn’t even care to register your pheromones. You were afraid of me and it still lingers, even if you’re not consciously aware of it. How does that make me anything other than a monster?]

Her breathing had since recovered, gauging from the way that his body idled back and forth as a result of his comfortable headrest. A trail of blood clouded his vision and forced him to whip a hand across his eyes. The cut on his forehead evidently ran deeper than he had thought. His support soon shifted and forced him back as the viper brought her neck forward in order to inspect his wound, all the while failing to suppress a wince in response to his battered visage.

“That bad, huh? Guess I’ll just have to add it to the collection.” Rooker tried to inject humor into their conversation, but Rose immediately took it the wrong way.

[A collection that entirely resulted from my actions.]

She deflated once more as both looked on as she flexed her hand and the meat hooks were put on full display. Unfazed by her wicked talons, Rooker gazed back into the viper’s red eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, Rose. It’s water under the bridge. Besides, this ugly mug isn’t picking up a woman anytime soon. That ship sailed a long time ago.”

Maybe it was the light but Rooker could've sworn that he saw a twinkle in her eye. His blurred vision wasn’t helping matters, at least his response rewarded him with the smallest of smiles. He turned back to watch her hands dance through the air once more.

[I thought that human women liked men with lots of scars?]

“They do, but there’s no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to human women. They’re…complicated to say the least.”

[Are you trying to insinuate that vipers are simple?]

“I mean…I didn’t intend to suggest, what?”

[Furthermore, you say that while you’re currently using my chest as a headrest.]

“Oh. I…uhhhhh.”

[‘Uhhhhh’ isn’t even remotely close to a sufficient answer, human.]

Rooker felt the heat rise from his cheeks as Rose jutted her chest out further to emphasize the fact, pushing him closer to the edge of her coils. He was happy to see that she was now in a good enough mood to throw a little sass his way, which was a side of Rose that he frankly never saw these days. However, he had indeed planted his head comfortably on the left side of her industrial-rated equipment, which had destroyed his favorite pillow only a handful of minutes ago.

Handful…yeah.

Rooker quickly shook the sordid thought from his mind. He had no business taking advantage of Rose in such a way. He was her caretaker and their relationship would remain as such. However, he did require a means to curtail the rather uncomfortable conversation. Luckily, he managed to spot his satchel some distance off, still in one piece, it would seem. The viper’s eyes must've followed his own because the red and white tail wrapped around its leather strap and soon dangled it in front of his face.

[Please check that I haven’t destroyed anything. I…would only make things worse if I was the one to do it.]

The pilot accepted the satchel and quickly took stock of the medical supplies, which had indeed survived Rose’s wrath. He soon felt her hot breath on the back of his neck as she stretched her long neck in order to come closer, the underside of her jaw gently rubbed against his shoulder as a crimson eye, which had since surpassed the size of a softball, shifted to meet his own in an unspoken question.

“Everything is accounted for and in one piece, Rose. Please don’t beat yourself up over this. It was an honest mistake.”

He felt the clawed hand carefully wrap around his lower torso, where he was repositioned in short order along the narrow path leading towards Rose’s living quarters. The viper was clearly leery about using her thick tail to the same effect as she quickly forced it behind herself and out of his view.

[Maybe it has escaped your attention, Rooker, but when I make a mistake, people die. I’m just…too big.]

“There is nothing wrong with being ‘big’ Rose.” Rooker tried to comfort her, but she pulled away and made her true feelings on the matter known.

[Nothing wrong? I’m forced to bathe in a water basin due to my size. I’m forced to rely on a shady vendor in the Switchyard for articles of clothing. I’m forced to look over these accursed bags of flesh anytime we are even remotely close.]

She lifted up the offending objects with both hands and let gravity take over for added emphasis. Her shortness of breath had returned and her signs had sped up considerably.

[I can’t address you without having to use these oversized, clawed hands. We can’t even hold hands without me having to bend over to reach you. And yet still you say that there's nothing wrong with this picture?!]

Rose brought her massive tail forward and lifted it into the air. She immediately grabbed onto it as if it were weightless and presented it to him as further evidence.

[How is any of this normal? How can you be okay with the monster towering in front of you? Knowing what I’ve done and likely will do in the future if this continues. How can you just stand there and be okay with...]

Rooker stepped forward and wrapped his arms around as much of the white underside of her tail as he could. Sadly, he had no hope of joining his hands on the other side. Her waist was still a good number of feet above his head but he didn’t care and hoped that this was enough to get his point across. He soon felt the displacement of air on high as Rose made one final sweeping gesture to finish her thought. However, he didn’t have to look with his eyes to surmise what the final sign would be.

[Me...]

The caretaker felt his hands shift upwards as they traced the smooth contours of her tail until they met the curvature of her waist, which was followed up by her lower abdomen. He made sure to avoid the wound on her hip while she repositioned herself for his benefit. A pair of hands soon descended and covered his entire back. He felt immediate pressure as he was pushed into the infinitesimal layer of fat that surrounded her dense muscles. Even now, she refused to let her claws touch his body.

Rooker had no idea how long they stood locked in the other’s embrace. It could've been five seconds or five minutes; in the end, he didn’t care. All he wanted was for her to feel safe, secure, and even though he could no longer hold her entire body in his arms—loved all the same.

The rook then came to address the snake on equal terms.

“Rose, don’t you ever say those horrible things about yourself. Let me reemphasize what I said earlier: I will never hate you and I will never abandon you. Because despite our physical differences, I only see you as the pulchritudinous woman that you are, who's stronger than I ever could be, yet far gentler as well. Frankly, I haven’t said it enough and for that, I’m eternally sorry, but you are my rock and I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you under my watch.

“We're in this together, girl, and I’m not about cast you overboard and leave you to fend for yourself just because you outweigh me by a significant margin.”

The viper slowly guided the human away from her body in order to address him. Even from this hunched position, she was still almost twice his height. The crimson hands danced through the air with renewed vigor.

[You really mean all of that?]

“Yes Rose, I do.”

A wide smile framed the viper’s muzzle as she blinked away additional tears, which put her humanity on full display.

[You even used the word.]

“I did. I know how much you like it, and what it's come to represent.”

Rose looked across her long body and wiggled the end of her tail, the smile never leaving her striped face.

[Yes, I’ve become rather fond of it over the years. Thank you, Rooker.]

The snout suddenly descended from the sky and a scaled cheek came to rub against the pilot’s head—a returned gesture from earlier in the night. Although, it seemed that Rose was making do with the fact that the bridge of his nose was a wholly inadequate landing strip for the closed maw. He felt the tip of her tongue take in the surrounding air before the viper returned to her upright position.

“D-don’t mention it girl. Now, we seriously need to get that wound of yours looked at; we’ve been sidetracked enough for one night.”

[We should look at your wound as well. I…want to make sure that you’re alright, given what I did. If something were to happen to you because of me, I would never forgive myself.]

Rooker put a hand on his forehead and felt flakes of blood beginning to form across its contours. Rose was probably right. She had done a number on him, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

“You make a convincing argument, Rose. However_, you’re_ the one who gets patched up first, and anything that's leftover we can use on me. I’ll even let you play doctor for a night if you want to give it a go.”

[You’d give me a chance to patch you up? I…don’t think that’s a good idea, Rooker.]

“Why not? Are you insinuating that vipers can’t make good doctors or nurses?” Rooker poked fun at his ward.

[Don’t be ridiculous. It’s because one of my hands can completely encompass your head. Do you really want these claws performing medical operations on your delicate body?]

“Now you’re just making up excuses. Next, you’ll tell me that you can’t recreate elaborate oil paintings with them either.”

[That…I…you’re impossible sometimes.]

“It comes with the job description. Gotta keep you on your toe.”

[That idiom doesn’t work for me though. I don’t even have toes.]

“That's where you’re wrong my serpentine friend.” The caretaker walked a short distance to the end of her muscular tail. “You see, Rose, I’m very particular with my words and said toe. Therefore, I present to thee...”

Rooker leaned down to pick up the scaled appendage, huffing and puffing in an effort to accomplish the same feat that Rose did just minutes before. However, even the smallest section of her tail made him feel like he was competing in a weightlifting championship. “Your…toe,” the man grunted as he turned to present the viper with his hard-won evidence.

His efforts earned him a series of giggles before the tail was lifted effortlessly from his arms and poked him gently in the center of his chest.

[Careful, human. There are sayings about catching a tiger by the toe, but we vipers are much less forgiving in that regard, and things tend to play out differently should a human catch a viper unaware.]

“Oh really, how do you figure that?” Both parties were now playing their part.

[Instead, vipers tend to...]

The viper’s upper torso quickly shot forward and she wound herself in a one-eighty around his body, her white fangs extended and she lowered her head until it was a mere six inches from his face. Rose then let out her best attempt at a ferocious hiss, which would've been terrifying, if she hadn’t followed it up by retracting her fangs too late, biting the underside of her jaw, and letting out another endearing whine.

“Holler. Congratulations, you’ve now convinced me that vipers and tigers are one and the same, at least in that regard.”

Rose gave him an indignant pout and looked like she was about to retaliate but instead added distance between them and looked at the entrance to her home.

[We should get ourselves patched up. That wound on your head isn’t getting any better.]

“It’s about scabbed over, girl, but I get it. We’re the worst when it comes to getting sidetracked.”

The viper looked down and momentarily clenched her hands together before answering.

[I’ve...missed this. All of these interactions remind me of the ones that we did when I was—]

“Little? Just because you’ve grown in the past few years, doesn’t mean those interactions have to stop. This is what I’ve been trying to tell you all this time. Big or small, you’re still the same Rose that I swore to protect all those years ago. We can keep doing this you know. All I ask for is your undying loyalty.”

Rooker gave the viper a wink before he made an attempt for his blankets, however, a scaled hand descended from the sky and took hold of both with ease, handing them over to the pilot.

[I’d...like that Rooker. Those were good times, and I’d like to continue this upward trend if possible. Now, I’ll be the one to enter the cavern first. My hips haven’t gotten stuck in this entrance yet, but I’ll need someone at ready just in case I need some additional assistance.]

The viper sashayed her armored hips through the air as if to validate her point, then turned to enter her living quarters.

"Rose wait."

His ward pivoted her upper torso to face him and raised a scaly eyebrow.

"That sign that you used to describe Katarina earlier, I've never seen you use it before. Care to explain where you picked it up?"

The viper smirked.

[You're not as good at covering your tracks as you think, Rooker. Over the years, you've had more than a few slips.]

"Right, let's not make a habit of it though."

Rose bowed her head before looking back to the entrance. However, before entering her home, she allowed her thick tail to rub up against Rooker’s frame as she turned back one final time to address her caretaker.

[Oh, and ‘outweigh you by a significant margin?’ I’ll be sure to get you back later for that one, Rooker.]

With that, Rose brought her tail forward and brushed the fallen rocks aside, tidying the path to her living quarters in one fell swoop. She then forced her way into the cavern, not giving her caretaker a chance to fumble out a reply. In response, Rooker sighed and made an attempt to adjust the strap on his medical bag before setting off behind his viper.