Scaly Situation pt.2 (Naga!Kenneth and Kveta)

    Kveta sighed, her face buried in the bend of her arm. Good lord, she hadn't slept that deeply in ages. It was almost a shame to wake up, but dappled sunlight and the distant chirping of some tropical bird had stirred her. The unusual weight from her waist down was a bitter reminder of her current situation, and she groaned as the memory of the previous day's events came back. A deep, bitter groan rumbled in the back of her throat as she slumped her head back down. Stuck as a naga and no clue how to reverse it...

    "Mmm... Morning," Kenneth's sleepy voice mumbled behind her. Kveta felt his warm breath against the back of her shoulder, and a gentle squeeze from the naga's strong arms around her waist.

    "Hey, big guy," she replied, smirking to herself.

    "Sleep well?"

    "Heh. You made sure of that, didn't you?"

    Kenneth chuckled, and planted a playful kiss on her shoulder. "You were awfully stressed. I had to fix that."

    "Oh, don't you start," Kveta tutted, giggling in spite of herself. "You said you'd help me fix my little snake tail problem, remember? Can't be doing that if you're putting the moves on me."

    "Aww, but cuddling is much more fun~" 

    She shook her head, and turned over to face Kenneth properly. He looked up at her with a cheeky grin and eyes only half-open, still a little groggy.

    "Kenny, take me seriously."

    "Do I have to?" His lower lip pushed out in a pout.

    "Kenneth."

    "Okay, okay. But, on one condition," he purred, playfully drumming his fingers along her waist. Kveta tried to keep a straight face.

    "Dare I ask what that one condition would be?"

    Kenneth grinned, leaning over.

    "I get a good morning kiss~"

    Kveta sputtered, her face turning bright red. He wasn't serious, was he? Good lord, after last night, too... 

    "Y-You're joking?"

    "Aww, c'mon. Please?" 

    She watched Kenneth waggle his eyebrows, his cheek propped in one hand as he cocked his head innocently to the side. Goddamnit, why did he have to look like a puppy all the time? This naga and his antics were going to be the death of her, she just knew it. With a stubborn groan, Kveta leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips, and backed away just as swiftly with crimson all across her cheeks.

    "Th-That's as good as you're gonna get for now," she muttered hastily. Kveta clumsily lifted herself out of the tangled pile made of her tail and Kenneth's, leaning against the sturdy trunk of the tree until she had firm control of her own balance; moving around with this tail was awfully difficult for her. Kenneth stretched his torso and rose up much more gracefully than she had, and put a hand on her waist to help steady Kveta as she began untangling her coils from his. It was a rather lengthy process, at least to her.

    "I suppose I'll just have to be patient, then," Kenneth chuckled, sneaking in a smooch on her cheek before dodging a swat from Kveta's hand. His grin was big and playful now that he was fully awake.

    "So, uh... About fixing...this--" Kveta gestured to her scaly tail rather helplessly. "Where do you think we should start in reversing this?"

    The other naga sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head as he tried to think of a solution. He really had no clue. The fact that Kveta had suddenly changed species was still pretty hard to believe, if he didn't have the proof right in front of him. Kenneth had seen some strange things in his day, but this was something new. This would take a good bit of puzzle-solving on both their parts.

    "Well, it happened in that weird temple. Maybe we should start there?"

    Kveta thought for a moment, and nodded.

    "It's not much, but it's as good a lead as we're going to get."

    She paused, looking down the tree warily. It was never a comfortable height for her before, and being in this strange body only made it worse.

    "Uh...Kenny? Mind helping me down?"

    ................

    "Okay, so, I came in here, followed the snake patterns on the floor, and touched this statue-thing on the pedestal..."

    Kveta slowly retraced her steps from the day before, her long tail dragging behind her. She crossed her arms, sighing heavily, and sent a withering glance to the golden serpentine figure mounted on the stone slab before her. It felt like it's golden eyes and open maw were mocking her.

    "We've been over that part several times now, Kveta," Kenneth groaned. He was leaning against the entrance, bored, perplexed, and frustrated. He had watched Kveta repeat her steps for the past few hours, and it had gotten them nowhere. Raising a hand, he rubbed his temple and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

    "Well what else do you want me to do?" Kveta blurted out, throwing her arms up helplessly. She stared at Kenneth with growing desperation, and slumped down in a defeated pile on the short staircase at the base of the idol's pedestal.

    "I don't have any clue where to go from here, Kenny," she sighed. "I... I just don't. This is crazy! I-I'm human one minute and seconds later I'm a naga! That just... That just doesn't happen..."

    Kenneth looked over and felt his heart sink, seeing Kveta looking so confused and on the verge of tears. Uncrossing his arms, he slithered over and sat himself down beside her. He opened an arm and reached around, letting the poor girl lean on his shoulder while he nuzzled comfortingly into her hair.

    "I can't be stuck like this, Kenny," Kveta sniffed. "I just can't..."

    "Shhh. I know. We'll figure it out, somehow," he whispered softly. "It'll be okay, we just have to think a little."

    "I don't even know where to begin... Nothing is giving me any hints."

    Kenneth frowned to himself. He couldn't find any clues, either. Magic was a weird thing to deal with; it could be extremely unpredictable, and how up in the strangest places. He knew that much, thanks to other friends of his. Would any of them know how to fix this? Even if they did, how long could they afford to wait for one of them to show up? Kveta was terribly lost in all of this, and he'd hate to see her struggle for days on end. The poor thing was already a few steps away from an emotional mess. Even now, she was wiping away tears of frustration.

    "I dunno where we'll find any clues, but I'm gonna help you every step of the way, I promise."

    Kveta sniffled, and turned her head to look up at him.

    "Y-You're not gonna get fed up with me? Being clumsy and slow and all..."

    "Not a chance, darlin'," he replied sweetly. Kenneth leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, his hand rubbing her back soothingly.

    "God, you don't know how much I appreciate you right now, Kenny..." 

    Kveta leaned heavily on the larger naga's shoulder, her eyes staring blankly at the floor while her hands lay limply in her lap. Those snakes on the floor pointed at the pedestal with the idol, but she hadn't noticed any other images on the floor or walls that would hint at a purpose or explanation of the room and it's golden statue. She understood science and history, subjects of hard fact, but bringing the mythological and spiritual into things muddled what she knew. There were countless records of rituals that ancient civilizations performed to honor their gods, but none ever mentioned rooms or idols such as the ones Kveta herself was dealing with. Maybe she should have taken an archeology course for part of her liberal studies...

    "Look," Kenneth spoke up gently, patting her shoulder. "Maybe we should give it a little rest, just for now? Going in circles and getting all worked up isn't going to help at all. For all I know there could be clues somewhere else in this temple, and we just need to find 'em."

    She nodded, letting out a long, slow breath. Kenneth took her hands gently, helping Kveta up so she didn't fall over her coils. For a moment, she just stood there and looked up at him. Confused, Kenneth cocked his head.

    "You okay?"

    "Yeah. Just..." Kveta pushed her hair behind her ear, her cheeks turning pink. "I really appreciate your help, even when I got myself into this mess."

    He smiled, shaking his head.

    "I did warn you," he teased. "But really, I wouldn't just leave you on you're own."

    "I know... So, um..." She bit her lip, hesitating, and then leaned up to give Kenneth a shy kiss. "Th-Thank you." 

    For a moment, Kenneth remained a little bit dazed. But eventually a smile formed on his face.

    "I knew I'd get a proper smooch out of you eventually~"

    "Wha--You--!" Her face turned beet red in an instant, to which Kenneth burst into laughter.

    "Kenneth, I swear when I get my body back you're in for a proper beat-down!"