Scaly and Hungry

@stoplighthelminth

Hello, my name is Shiori, and I'm a half human - half reptile hybrid. Despite my intimidating appearance, I consider myself friendly! I like to both cook and eat, so if you ever need help making something, feel free to ask! he/him/his...

515 posts

[He is indeed.]

[They put the plate of fruit on their desk. They are absolutely fighting the urge to just rush in and give him a big stupid hug. But he’s so sleepy. It would be PRETTY RUDE to wake him up! However, the urge to yell excitedly will not cease. They sit this way for all of five minutes before thinking, well, he’ll probably be happy to hear this anyway.]

[They scutter up next to him, gently tapping him on the shoulder and whispering at him.]

“Shep! Shep, get up, check it out!”

stoplighthelminth

[Shiori makes a much louder snort, wiggling a little as Shi touches him, tail jittering similar to a sleepy cat. It takes a bit, but he eventually stretches his arms out and yawns loudly. He still hasn’t yet realized what’s going on.]

“Wh...?”

[He’s drowsy still, rubbing his eyes wearily and slowly rolling onto his back. Hilariously, he starts slapping his tail on the bed.]

What is it?

[They peek around the corner and onto their bed pile, and they make a loud, surprised noise (before they noticed he was asleep).]

[HE IS HERE]

[They REALLY want to hug him but they also don’t want to wake him up, though they might have already done that what with the loud noise.]

stoplighthelminth

[He makes a faint snorky sound, but doesn’t seem to wake up. Quietly shifting in place on the bed, he pulls a clawed hand up to his face and rubs it slightly; and his tail’s tip jitters very slightly.]

[He is a very tired lizard.]

[This has been taking a while to go away. Maybe if he’s still a lizard in a couple days, they’ll take him to Pete to maybe get fixed back up. They think they’ll run it by him in a bit. Not having opposable thumbs isn’t very fun, after all. They step out of the room briefly to go get some food from the kitchen.]

[They come back in a few minutes with a goodly amount of fruit and a couple of hardboiled eggs, calling into the room as they come through the door.]

“Here, I got you something other than vegetables…”

stoplighthelminth

[ Somehow, but not unexpectedly, Shiori managed to pass out in the short time that Shi was gone. What is unexpected is that he seems to be absolutely back to normal. On top of that, he is naturally completely unclothed, laying stretched out on his belly, tail hanging limply off the side of the bed. And of course, he’s drooling on everything.]

“Yeah, same here. I don’t need to have it romping about and doing rude things again. Ick.”

[They idly twiddle their neck claws, folding their arms behind their head.]

“Mm. Things’ll calm down after a little while, trust me. That’s how the news is, you know. They’d report a happy story like ours and then forget about it in a couple of days. It’s just how it is, I suppose.” They smile at him, giving him a reassuring pat with an antenna. “Don’t worry, dear, we’ll get some peace soon enough, I promise. No need to stress, everything’ll work out.”

stoplighthelminth

[He makes a slight breathy hiss, curling his side up against them. They just want to be comfortable.]

Yes, I guess that is true. Hopefully people get used to us sooner rather than later. I would like to not deal with it.

Majestic

“Yeah, right? I’d be glad to see a day where we didn’t have to worry about time ghosts and all the other assorted shenaniganry that’s been happening these days. Still awfully glad I haven’t heard from that asshole in a good while.”

[They smile to themselves, thinking of all the wonderful places them and Shep could potentially be going. Oh, yes, there would most definitely be beaches in their future. Also, jungles, both planty and concrete. The best part? No need to pay for transportation. No airplanes whatsoever, either, which made them all the more excited about it.]

“Mm. I don’t think anyone but us knows about our extraordinary plight as of yet, actually…so perhaps we should be ready to get a bit of media attention for a little while if we plan to go out and about.” They laugh, shaking their head and grinning. “God knows, the ol’ bugfuckers from my lab might have their hearts leap out of their chests when they see me again!”

stoplighthelminth

That would be nice. I am glad, though. Hopefully things will stay that way.

[Shiori looks away a bit, huddling his face under their arm for a bit, before eventually coming back out as they laugh. If he could make a face at their word choice, he would.]

I am not looking forwards to it. I just want to relax and be ok and not stressed. Hopefully things will go better than I expect it to.

“Yeah, I hope not. Maybe the universe could cut us some slack for once, eh? I, for one, think it could afford to give us a couple days’ worth of a break.”

[They lightly drape an arm over him, continuing to gently pet the big ol’ lizard. They’re quiet for a while, simply enjoying the sunshine and the feeling of cool grass on the back of their neck. Nothing like being stuck in a building for months to really renew your love for the outside world. They sigh, happily. It’s nice to be lounging in the sun with someone you love, regardless of whether or not he happens to be a large lizard at the time.]

“…Awfully lovely day, today, don’t you think?” They pause again. “What would you think about doing a little vacationing soon? We’d come back here, but, well, it’d be nice to get out and about and all.”

stoplighthelminth

It would be nice. Even a day of normal would be nice. Shit. Even a few hours would be nice.

[He gently huddles close, the sun warming his scales. This is actually pretty nice. It’d be nicer if it were a beach or something, but beggars can’t be choosers. Still. He gently stretches his front legs out on their chest.]

It really is. I would like that, though I am nervous. Hopefully we could get help with that.

[They laugh, shaking their head a little.]

“Oh, god, could you imagine? Of all the rotten luck you’d have to have for time to align just so! Then again, eggs always seem to happen at the worst possible time. You’d think it was some weird sixth sense or something.”

[They pause, remembering that they still really have to talk to Masami about getting this bullshit straightened out.]

“Well, hopefully you’re back to normal soon. Like you said, wouldn’t want that to hit when you’re in an unfamiliar body, god knows I wouldn’t.”

[They smile happily as he snuggles up to them, gently petting the big ol’ lizard.]

stoplighthelminth

[He shakes his head too, a gesture he’s glad he can still do. His rapping of his tail seems a tad exasperated in speed.]

That would be awful. Though I am sorta starting to get used to it. Hopefully nothing goes wrong before then.

[He gladly snuggles up to them.]

[They grin, chuckling a little as they boop him on the snoot with an antenna.]

“What can I say? I am a rather effective heating pad, after all.” They smile, leaning back to look up at the clouds again. “Yeah…I’m pretty sure you’re half-sick of salad and fruit and eggs by now, even though I’m sure the both of us have already been sick of eggs for a good while.” Another chuckle.

stoplighthelminth

[He flicks his tongue out at their antennae, forked tip fluttering against it. Very quietly, he makes a small squeak and starts patting his tail again.]

This is true. I am glad that I do not have to deal with eggs right now. Who knows how that would be.

[Slowly moving in the sun, Shiori gently pushes himself against their chest and crawls closer to their face, nuzzling his head into the crook of their arm.]

[They honestly wish they could make some sort of meat for him, really, but everything they try to do ends up a little burnt because of all the stalling. This is also the most consecutive days they’ve eaten salad of some sort. Eh, well, at least it’s not bad, and the both of them can eat it. Salad’s salad, and at least it doesn’t require them to be near any hot things.]

[They raise a hand, idly scritching his scaly head.]

“Oh, no, no, it’s fine! I really don’t mind. Not a bother at all. I’m glad you’re doing alright, though.” They chuckle. “Bet you can’t wait to have opposable thumbs again, eh?”

stoplighthelminth

[Salad is nice and all, but not really Shep’s optimal meal plan. If he could, he’d rather not have to eat it twice in a row. But he can’t exactly complain. Quietly, he nuzzles his head into their hand.]

Yes. I am somewhat getting tired of this. Not that I mind the affection.

[Okay, maybe this anon has gone on for a bit more than a week, because Shep’s still a lizard. You think it would be more than a little rude to put him in any sort of tank, but fortunately, you work as a very good heating pad, so he’s been spending quite a bit of time flopped around on you, which you certainly don’t mind. You two have had an awful lot of time to sit around and watch movies, and you are very glad your Morse isn’t super rusty.]

[It was pretty nice out today, so you thought the two of you could go outside and sit in the sunshine for a while. You’ve walked out to the little field behind the treeline with him, and decided it was a nice, warm place to blob out for a while.]

[At the moment, Shep is sitting right on top of you, which might have been a little uncomfy if he were a tad bit more human at the moment. They squint, watching the clouds drift by, sort of thinking out loud.]

“…Funny thing magic is, huh? Weird, but interesting, I’ll give it that. How’s the lizard business been treating you?”

stoplighthelminth

[This has been dragging on, but he can’t exactly say it has been unpleasant. Actually, it has actually been pretty enjoyable; Shi’s been so careful and affectionate, despite not exactly being a herpetologist. Shiori feels like he’s eaten more eggs this week than he has for his entire life, but he can understand why.]

[Idly, he paws his little clawed feet at their chest and flicks out his tongue. He really hopes this isn’t too much of a burden. Making a throaty croak, he pats his tail against them in a pattern.]

Yeah. This is really weird. I’m okay, I hope this isn’t a bother.

They give him a little hug, glad to know that he’s just had some magic BS happen instead of disappearing entirely.

“Sorry about that…it takes me a while to wake up sometimes.” They shake their head. “More magical nonsense, I suppose…are you hungry, dear? I’m not exactly the best cook, but…I’ll get something together for you.”

stoplighthelminth

Oh gosh. He makes a faint squeak as he’s squeezed, but doesn’t protest. He wriggles his tail around, slapping it softly against their body. This is a little scary and confusing, but he knows he can deal with it. He makes some throat noises at Shi, flicking out his tongue against their face.

The lizard sure seems to want to get their attention, and they finally look back down at it, frowning. Lizard, now is not the time. They are TRYING to find their b–wait a fucking second here.

They fell asleep next to Shep last night and woke up next to a big lizard who looks like Shep and seems to like them. Shep is now mysteriously absent. They skitter over to the nearest sunny window (it’s easier to see in sunlight) and get a good look at his eyes. Those sure are two different shades.

“…Holy shit, Shep.”

stoplighthelminth

It makes a loud throaty noise when they frown at it, but soon they move along to hold it up in the light. Its eyes dilate in the light, but the colors are clear. Once they finally realize it, he starts pawing a bunch at their chest.

It’s really hard to communicate like this.

Aww, what a cute gigantic mysterious reptile. It is pretty heavy, but they don’t really mind so much. They pat its head gently with an antenna as they keep looking through the rooms.

They can’t help but get a bit nervous as they climb to higher and higher floors with no trace of him. They even look in the back of the medical room to see if he’s there, and there’s nothing but some jars filled with stuff and the gnawed-through cage. They really are starting to get more fretful, and they even go into the control room to look at the cameras and shout over the PA for him.

“Where is he, where is he…?” They mutter to themself, neck claws clicking anxiously. “Maybe…maybe I should text Ser before anything else…maybe he’s shedding again and he wanted to take a bath…”

stoplighthelminth

It seems to be getting increasingly fidgety as Shilog gets more and more anxious. Soon, it’s pawing at their chest and nipping at their antennae gently. The noises it makes are increasingly urgent, and it whines and whaps its tail against them. Oh come on, Shi, pay attention.

This lizard seems to be pretty friendly, at least. Well, that’s pretty good. A friendly mystery lizard is the best kind of mystery lizard, after all.

Huh…that’s weird. He usually calls right back. Maybe he’s on another floor. Time to get up and look for him, they suppose. They wriggle off the sheets and roll onto the floor, pointy legs clicking against the tile. They watch the lizard for a few seconds. Hm. What to do? They don’t want anything eyeing their bugs like a snack, and this guy looks like he’s big enough to topple a tank if he tried. Plus, they don’t want this big lizard to wander off anywhere and get lost, so they decide to take this big ol buddy with them.

They slide their arms under the lizard, and walk out the door carrying it, mumbling to it as they walk down the halls and peek into rooms.

“Now…we gotta go find Shep and ask him where you came from. You’re very cute and all, but I do kind of want to know why you just sorta showed up in my bed a couple minutes ago…” They peek into the kitchen, and sigh. Nothing. This is really weird. Keep mumbling at the lizard. “You know, you kinda look like him, with the colors and all. I wonder if Ser dropped you off or something because of that. It seems like something she’d do.”

stoplighthelminth

It does look hungry, but it seems more interested in Shi, rather than moving to eat any of the nearby bugs. It doesn’t resist them picking it up, but the chubbyness of it becomes very evident when they move to lift it. It claws and grasps at their shirt, hoping to cling slightly to them. Huddling close to them, it keeps watching their face and making little throat squeaks.

Well THATS a lizard they’ve never seen before.

They frown slightly, more puzzled then anything, as they lean over, trying to peek out the door as they shout down the hall.

“Sheeeeep? There’s a big lizard in here. Is it…is it yours?”

They are honestly not too quick in the mornings.

stoplighthelminth

The lizard makes a throaty squeak at them, peering out from under the blankets. Its tiny claws pull at the sheets as it slowly comes back out from it’s hiding. It seems very focused on Shi, oddly.

And even more odd, there’s no response from the hall.

[It’s about time they got up. Sun’s up (and is VERY bright), weather forecast said it’d be a nice day, and Shep seems to be kinda wriggly again. They smile, and go to put their arm around him, but he doesn’t seem to be there. Huh? They open their eyes, looking down at the mess of sheets beside them in that half-asleep dumb state of confusion. They frown rather heavily as they realize, well, no, he’s not here, but Something Or Other definitely is.

Now, the question is, what the heck is in their bed?

They lift the sheet and look under, still baffled as to where Shep went.

stoplighthelminth

Under the sheets lies a very squirmy, large (though definitely smaller than the one Shi’s used to) reptile. It’s monitor lizard-like in build, with mottled dull green and rust colored scales. As the cover is peeled off, it makes a rumbly hiss as it sees the light, retreating slightly at the brightness.

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