A Snake in Los Angeles

[Stilia Medusa]

She couldn’t believe it, of all places, she had ended up here? It was so- so- tacky. Exuberant and tasteless. She had seen the giant sign, the big white letters spelling out HOLLYWOOD, and she had hated it instantly. Humans could be so full of themselves sometimes. It was hard to believe these same beings had made marvelous structures like the Eiffel Tower, the pyramids, and more. (Albeit she suspected that the supernaturals had a hand with many of the creations such as the Great Wall of China). Still, this was terrible, all all the tourists snapping pictures of fake Chinese buildings and the suspected homes of stars just added to her disgust. So she left the Hollywood district, and wasn’t quite sure where she ended up.

Of course, the gorgon did not appear as a gorgon. Her hair was lifeless, not hissing, and rested down her back as a simple brown. Green eyes looked around, in search of a cheap hotel, or motel, but she was beginning to suspect she was lost. Los Angeles had only been a stop, an actual bed for the night instead of staying in a log or in the ground, burying as an animal. She was travelling the world, and it was only luck that she ended up in the city of ‘The Angels’.

She accidentally walked into a woman, and apologized, albeit the woman snuffed her off and walked away in a huff. She hissed to herself under her breath. Cities- she wasn’t very fond. It was much too bad she couldn’t just sleep in libraries, for she would feel at peace there. But no, she wandered aimlessly down the streets in search of a motel, before darkness fell on the giant concrete city.

[Elias "Eli" Vael]

Eli was tired, and depressed. He tossed his lab coat into the laundry bin in the back of the clinic, calling out his goodbyes as he pulled on his own jacket over his scrubs to fight off the evening chill.

They'd worked all evening to try and save the dog who'd fallen out of a moving car. Sure, people thought about how happy their dog looked with its head hanging out the window, the wind flopping their ears around- but they never seemed to think that their dog would leap out to try and go greet another dog they saw.

The dog may have survived that well enough with just the broken leg if it hadn't been such a busy street he landed in.

Eli took a deep breath and stepped out the back door of the clinic, anxious to get home and relax. An eight hour shift had been turned into a thirteen hour shift, and now it felt useless. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he started toward home, only a five minute walk from the clinic.

A woman caught his eye, though- she seemed to be wandering aimlessly, looking equal parts lost and disgusted. He snorted as another woman collided with her and moved on by without a word of apology- yep, typical LA, right there. It had taken some getting used to for him.

"I might be wrong, but...you look a little lost," he said, slowing down as he got closer to her, at least trying to be cautious. Most natives of the city would scoff at such 'tourists' and walk on by, but Eli was a bit of a bleeding heart. He at least tried to point people in the right direction.

[Stilia Medusa]

As if summoned by the rudeness of the other lady, karma decided to throw in a helpful guy. Stilia looked at him in surprise- it was probably quite obvious that she was lost, but it wasn’t often that you actually came across a nice person in the streets of a city, especially with night falling. Maybe he planned on offering her directions, then mugging her. She only had a backpack, looking like one of those travelers who hiked across the country and stayed in youth hostels. The difference was that Stilia never stayed in a hostel (she liked to revert to her true form in the privacy of a room) and the fact she hiking-flying-slithering across the whole world (and other worlds, as the gorgon had once been to the Khyper-Diorem).

Wary, she breathed through her nose, but the person had a completely human scent. If worse came to worse, the gorgon could easily dispose of the unsuspecting human- well, she didn’t ever kill, but she could knock him out in a deep sleep and be on her way. The man looked tired, bags heavy under his eyes, which in turn looked sad and overworked. She offered him a small smile. “Your eyes serve you well, your observations are correct. I’m simply looking for the nearest cheap place to stay before night falls, I could use a bed before continuing.”

She probably looked the part of a weary traveler. She was tired; her hair was tied back in a ponytail and looked like it had had dirt sprinkled over it. Her shoes were quite scruffy, and her clothes were comfortable. “Could you just tell me where a place like that might be?”

[Elias "Eli" Vael]

Eli arched an eyebrow at the strange cadence with which she spoke- strangely formal, a little...off. He would have guessed English was her second language, but she didn't seem to have an accent, either. Oh well; it wasn't like LA had a shortage of strange people. The city was like a magnet for the weirdest of people.

"Uh, yeah. You're not far, it's a few more blocks in that direction," he said, pointing east, where the lights were brighter and the roads a little busier. "There's a nice place, not too pricey. It's not far past my apartment. I can walk you most of the way there, if you want," he offered, figuring he was going that way anyway. No sense in making her walk alone at night.

"Visiting on pleasure or business?" he asked, giving her a curious look. Something felt off about her, but he told himself it was just the choice of words. She didn't look the type to mug someone, or sacrifice them to Satan, or whatever the unsavory people around here did at night.

[Stilia Medusa]

Stilia noted the arched eyebrow, and wondered from what thought in his mind stirred the raising of the strip of hair. He pointed towards streets from which more noise emitted, the sound cars honking and tires screeching as they made illegal turns. He offered to walk her there, offering the excuse that his apartment was on the way. This offered her a few possibilities.

She could accept, and perhaps he really was just a nice man who lived on the way, leading her through the streets that so far have been confusing and frustrating to the point where she nearly decided to just fly over everything. (Of course, common sense and logic prevented her).

She could accept, and while walking through some dark alleyway the man either unbuttoned his pants or took out a weapon, both options which would leave the poor boy unconscious and maybe missing a member. (The gorgon had a dagger tucked away under her clothing, and many powers at her disposal).

Or, the gorgon could decline, and continue on, maybe getting even more lost and maybe having to spend the night outdoors once again. (In the form of a raccoon or something).

Anyways, the first two options seemed much better, as she could easily handle herself during the second possibility. All this flashed through her mind in a small moment, barely a pause, as she considered her options. Her mind often mapped things out such as these, as she tended to rely on logic and knowledge. She gave another small smile. “That would be quite courteous and kind of you sir, feel free to lead the way.”

And so he did, and as they walked, he made an attempt at small talk. So far he was seeming like an innocent, albeit curious man. Of course, it could have been to determine if anyone knew where she was and was expecting her or not. It could also lead to show how much influence or money she had, depending what business she had spawned from. A simple innocent question with many devious undertones as partial possibilities. Still, she laughed. “Neither, for I come not on any business nor am I gaining any pleasure from the visit. I am merely stopping for the night before continuing elsewhere.”

By lack of business, the gorgon meant that she wasn’t hunting for anything. Stilia often went on excursions (many accompanied by her friend the Minotaur) and would hunt out of control fantastical creatures that plagued the world. Why she did such things she wasn’t sure. But she felt as if she had to see everything, and sometimes the only way to see something and remain alive was to kill it.

“And yourself?” She inquired. “What are you doing out here, offering to accompany strangers and even unknowingly showing them where you reside?”

[Elias "Eli" Vael]

Eli gave a halfhearted motion to the scrubs he wore under his jacket. "Heading home from work. I work at the vet clinic down the road," he said with a shrug, shoving his hands in his jacket pocket as they walked. Tonight would be a little chilly, he could tell already.

"Hell of a stopover. Next time you should stick closer to the tourist traps. It's loud, but it's a helluva lot safer than the side streets. You go about four more blocks west of here and there are bars on every window," he pointed out, once again glad that he had that much of a buffer between his apartment and the worse parts of town. It was the pleasant in-between; not in the Hollywood expensive neighborhood, but he wasn't too worried about walking around in the evenings, either.

He didn't ask where she was headed; he figured that would be getting a little nosey, and if she wanted to offer up the info, she would. "You don't sound like you're from around here," he pointed out, glancing at her for a moment. "Visiting from overseas?"

He laughed, though, when she pointed out the blatant truth- really he was being rather naive, helping out anyone on the street who looked like they needed a hand.

"You'd think I'd have learned my lesson after the first person tried to bite me, right?" he joked, and then he shrugged again with a sheepish smile. "Guess I'm still clinging to small town values. Don't have much to steal if they mug me, anyway. And I have a guard dog. Not a good one, but it's usually enough to keep people from breaking in," he explained, though he imagined that if someone did actually get in the apartment, the barking would turn into Kale's tail wagging at the intruder as he begged for love.

Guard dog, indeed.

[Stilia Medusa]

Stilia only saw the scrubs once he gestured to them, hidden well beneath the jacket. Or perhaps just another strange human style; considering some of the human teenagers and young adults she saw, scrubs were quite normal. So the man was a vet? Interesting, she wondered if she would ever have the courage to go see one if one of her snakes fell to harm that was not treated with her healing abilities. Of course, chances of that were low.

The air was getting cooler, and Stilia hoped she would arrive at a nice warm room soon enough. Despite the fact California was much warmer than some places she has been to (like Russia), she found the cold unappealing and would rather deal with it as little as possible. She smiled to the human vet. “Thank you for the advice. I found the big crowds rather uncomfortable, and slipped away. Sadly, I got lost, and have not been able to find my way back to those utterly unpleasant tourist areas. But even if something happened, I have been travelling a while now and I’ve learnt a few tricks to use against unsavory companions.” Yeah, turn into a half-snake woman and hypnotize the attacker. Plus, she’s dealt with creatures much worse than humans.

He asked a question, apparently making an attempt at small talk. She nodded to confirm his words. “I lived in Greece, but I have been gone a long time and have spent much of that missed time in various countries. So yes, I have come to pay my visits from over the seas, to answer your question.”

She gave a small laugh to his joke, all too aware that if she changed, she had dozens of snakes that could all try to bite him. She listened politely to the rest, as he talked about a guard dog. He seemed good-hearted, kind. She knew if she offered him money he wouldn’t take it. Perhaps she would slip some upon his figure later, for his goodness. She had plenty- she had once been given the gift of gold by a shapeshifter who turned out to be a God of Nature later. Still, despite his status as a Deity, they had remained friends, and she has seen him since.