“Are you okay…?” Their voice is low and gentle, and their footsteps are slow and silent. “It’s alright, they can’t hurt you… I chased them off: they won’t be coming back for a while…”
Tannin scans the abandoned classroom, tongue periodically flicking in and out to taste the air. They know where Ezra is crouching - there is an overwhelmingly strong bitter tang emanating from underneath the teacher’s desk. Yet there is also something else: two other flavors writhing beneath the surface. They can’t quite make out the taste, but they have an idea about what it entails.
“You can come out now, the coast is clear…”
As they approach Ezra’s hiding location, their form flickers, changing from a skeletal humanoid to that of a soft-looking young man. They tentatively peek under the desk and let out an audible sigh of relief when they spot the trembling teen.
“There you are… I was worried when I heard that scream, you know…?” Tannin extends a firm hand towards Ezra. “You’re lucky I was nearby when those things attacked… Come on, now, we can’t dawdle too long here; not with monsters roaming the halls…”
↓(AAAAAAA WHAT A GREAT REPLY I LOVE JORDYN 💕😭 I’m so sorry for Tannin’s behavior, they’re a little dick when not actively ‘hunting’ djsjdndj)
“What a clever, clever girl…”
There was a cackle as Tannin appeared right above the fallen goddess, dangling upside-down in midair with the ugliest grin imaginable plastered on their face. They couldn’t help but be drawn to her: a being that once writhed with the mighty force of the primeval oceans but was now contained within a beautiful shell. It was like one of those silly little ‘isekais’, except this one was much more entertaining.
“Oh don‘t be so coy, Jordbær…~” purred the creature as they languidly rotated their form. “I’m just here to observe, not to torment…! At least, I’m not doing the tormenting here, not yet: so don’t get your pretty coils in a twist now… It’ll raise your blood pressure.”
They watched her with half-lidded eyes. Ah, she was angry: how uncharacteristic! Too bad he couldn’t feed off that energy. “It’s true, there are more…enticing prey ambling about. But I chose you anyways - what an honor, wouldn’t you agree…? But I’m not here to gloat. After all, what is there to even gloat about…?”
Their smile grew even wider at the woman’s bitter words, and they drifted after her as she walked away. “Wait, are you projecting your own insecurities on me…? Ooo how cute…!”