Chapter Text
“Olivia, I consider you a good friend.”
This statement would have been taken more seriously if Olivia hadn’t woken up on a bed composed of tightly wound scales and found her torso wrapped in said tail. The statement hung innocent and straightforward, despite Satya looming over Olivia with piercing eyes and long hair draped over her shoulder like a curtain that accentuated her slender form.
“And would it be presumptuous to assume that you feel the same?”
Olivia had to blink hard to bring herself out of the haze of sleep, making sure she wasn’t still dreaming.
“That...would be a correct assessment, yes. Yes, you’re my friend,” she managed to squeak out, but barely.
“And as such it would be acceptable to do things, perhaps hidden things, without your consent with the intention of having a day to spend together?”
Satya’s face is unreadable, stoic despite the slight shift in her tone making her sound nervous and unsure. It took Olivia a moment to translate what Satya was trying to say before realizing,“...like a surprise?”
Satya’s eyes lit up,“Yes, the very same.”
“Yeah...I’m going to need context.”
Satya looked away, her tail slowly uncoiling from Olivia’s body to reach out and grab a bag from the other side of the room that Olivia only now realized she did not recognize.
She quickly sat up as Satya reached into the bag and pulled out a familiar pair of goggles and snorkel.
“Care for a swim?”
Olivia stared at the bright green goggles dumbfounded before the widest grin split across her face,“You...brought my scuba gear, somehow without me noticing?”
Satya seemed to shrink back slightly, glancing at the bag then back at Olivia,“...is this alright?”
“You dare allow me?” Olivia gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart in shock,”A lowly mortal in your precious sacred waters?”
In an instant Satya straightened her shoulders, her eyes narrowed dangerously with a slight pout that one could almost call playful.
“Hesitate once more and see if my offer still stands.”
“Hey now let’s not get crazy!” Olivia laughed, carefully pulling herself out of the bed of coils but failing miserably, slipping through like an old couch that was sunken in and difficult to scramble out of before Satya gently pushed her forward with her tail. Now sitting on her long body, Olivia’s feet barely touching the ground, she reached out and took the bag to find her wet suit and flippers were also brought along.
“But I can’t help but ask what the special occasion would be for such an honor,” Olivia said with a soft smile, shifting through the bag and pulling out the contents as a quiet confirmation to the swim.
“Well besides it being your last few days in my country I have a parting gift for you, but seeing how you enjoy exploring around ruins and tombs in your spare time I thought you would find it more enjoyable if we looked for it together.”
Olivia was brought to an immediate pause, putting her things down to look up at Satya with wide eyes.
“You...really? For me?” Once again she was unable to find her voice, struggling to speak before Satya’s sincerity.
“Well? What do you say?”
Olivia coughed, forcing out a laugh to continue gathering her things to avoid eye contact,“You really know how to woo a girl, you had me at ‘ruins and tombs’.”
Satya’s shoulders instantly relaxed with renewed confidence, she nodded her head,“Excellent.”
She uncoiled herself to sit before a mirror, carefully removing her jewelry and wiping her make-up while her tail seemingly moved on its own accord, putting the shopping bags they had collected beside certain trunks and dressers for later reorganizing.
Meanwhile Olivia couldn’t help but feel a swell of excitement in her chest, slipping off her shoes and shirt she quickly changed into her wet suit for the treasure hunt that had been set for her.
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“Well?”
Olivia gulped, unable to tear her eyes away as Satya just casually slithered straight into the pool, barely disturbing the water her body disappeared beneath the surface. It was no wonder Olivia had no idea she was there the first time she swam in this sacred lake.
“So where are we going exactly?” Olivia asked, slipping on her flippers at the edge of a broken stone pathway.
“The ruins you see here are only the tip of something that was much greater once, there is more of my temple beneath. Follow me.”
With snorkel and goggles secure, Olivia hopped into the cold waters with a pencil dive.
For a moment her body seized up at the drastic drop in temperature but as the cloud of bubbles cleared from her vision the sight before her brought her cheeks to redden in warmth.
Satya’s long body was outstretched behind her, casually draped over broken pillars and piles of rubble from a long forgotten time, her hair drifting weightlessly beyond her shoulders and piercing yellow eyes brought Olivia to a stand still for a moment.
Satya smiled widely with excitement, nodding in a silent confirmation to continue as she pointed behind Olivia before taking off, her tail whipping behind her and sending her flying through the waters with ease.
Olivia wished she could record this - no amount of swimming with whales could top this. There had been a few occasions she had swam with snakes,(mostly by accident) and had a close call with an anaconda once in the Amazon, but that didn’t come close to the sheer size and grace of Satya gliding along the lake floor with Olivia barely able to keep up.
Luckily it didn’t take long, Satya stopped in front of what Olivia assumed to be a fallen wall from a forgotten section of her temple, resting upon the base of her little island and pointed at the large hole that was once a window before pulling herself through and slipping inside.
Without hesitation Olivia followed suit, finding herself in a dark narrow tunnel beneath the island. She grasped the walls to propel herself forward, pausing for a second to flip on a light attachment to her goggles to light the way, before long she found herself in a wide underwater cavern.
Following the scales that gleamed as the light flashed across Satya’s tail, she found Satya pointing upwards before swimming that direction.
By the time her head breached the surface and Olivia spat out her snorkel the cavern was suddenly illuminated. She quickly removed her goggles and wiped her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things but the walls of this hidden cavern were lined with torch sconces that were instantly set alight at the command of the snake goddess who slithered up to the small landing.
“Well?” Satya called out, collecting her hair in her grasp to wring out the water,”Go on, get treasure hunting.”
Olivia smiled wide, slipping her goggles back and grabbed her snorkel,”You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, and I mean that!” and with that she dove back into the water, leaving a smug Satya behind to patiently wait.
With the cave lit up Olivia descended back into the cold water now able to see more clearly. Small tunnels through the moss covered stone, fallen ruins, occasional snakes and fish swimming by. Olivia was now in her element, diving deep into the caverns, pulling up overturned rocks and digging around where no human had ever seen before.
Satya waited patiently, coiling her body underneath herself and content to lounge around with her tail still submerged in the water like a flag of where to return.
Moments passed and an excited Oliva broke through the surface with a loud splash, spitting out her snorkel as she held up her treasure.
“Oh my god you brought me bowls!” she laughed hysterically.
Satya clapped excitedly, happy her gift was well received,“Just as you were expecting on your first day coming here.”
“This is amazing!” Olivia swam back to the landing, carefully placing two old ceramic bowls upon it before hopping out and sitting on the cold stone.
“I obviously have an untrained eye for these sorts of things but I can assume it would fetch a high price?”
Olivia held one in her grasp, her fingers dragging along the surface, the cracks were superficial, markings of a world forgotten it was genuine and priceless.
“Regardless of the price I am more touched by your thoughtfulness,” Olivia paused to turn around, a wide smile gracing her features,”Thank you Satya, this means a lot. I might keep this one to myself honestly.”
“There are others down there you may take, not just bowls.”
Olivia paused for a moment, staring at the bowl in her grasp then back at the smiling snake,“Oh well in that case it wouldn’t hurt to see how much these would go for...”
Satya grinned, casually folding her arms underneath her chin as she lounged over her long body, watching in amusement as Olivia continued her inspection.
Before she could stop herself she let out a long sigh,“I’m going to miss you Olivia.”
Olivia stopped mid grab of her goggles to go back down for more treasure and immediately turned back around finding a bittersweet smile on Satya’s face.
She found herself smiling sadly back,”I’ll miss you too.”
The silence was deafening, the occasional drip of the wet cavern and splash of a fish here and there went unheard as the two locked eyes. She hadn’t been there long but soon Olivia would be back to home base and carry on with her work. Nothing in her life will ever be the same now because of this strange woman she survived to meet and come to know.
Although it was a moment too long for quiet unbreaking of eye contact, Satya coughed and looked away rather suddenly,“Alright just...go on and find more things,” she half commanded, brushing her hand in the air in a shoo-ing motion as she blushed.
Olivia, also feeling warm under her gaze, also turned around and quickly pulled the goggles back on,“Yep you got it don’t have to ask me twice,” and with that jumped back into the water to avoid those yellow eyes again. For now.
As soon as Olivia was out of sight Satya dropped her head into her folded arms, burying her face away from the world and let out a low groan of embarrassment.
It took a few hours but eventually Olivia called it quits after two bowls, four cups, a large pot and a small handful of assorted jewelry. Not that Satya minded, she eventually slipped back into the pool, watching from the bottom of the cavern in amusement as Olivia swam around, digging through rubble and running her fingers along old broken walls, admiring the artwork still barely visible.
“I think I found everything? I have a feeling I missed some stuff but I’m wiped!” Olivia groaned, struggling to pull herself up out of the water, she flopped over onto her back, her legs still in the water but she didn’t bother pulling herself out fully.
“There are a few things still there but I’m sure perhaps…” Satya stopped herself, unsure as to why she was suddenly feeling nervous about her words,”Perhaps you could visit again and try another time?”
At this Olivia shot back up with renewed energy and a wide grin,“Yeah absolutely! You can’t get rid of me that easily, I’ll be back before you know it!”
But her laugh died down quickly as she realized Satya was staring straight at her with an unreadable expression.
“Hey what’s wrong?”
Satya looked away, the water lapping around her shoulders but Olivia could see her holding her own arms, looking unsure about her next words.
Finally she sighed and looked up at Olivia in a weak voice,“May I inquire about something quite...personal?”
“Uh, yeah sure of course.”
Olivia sat still as Satya ascended from the water, but remained completely and utterly still as she leaned in close. Hands resting on the stone on each side of Olivia’s leg, trapping her there even as she cautiously leaned back. Satya hovered over her, staring straight into her eyes as if searching for something.
“Um...what’s...up?”
Satya’s yellow eyes flashed downward, turning her head in such a way that would indicate listening for something,“It...would appear you have a similar symptom as I do.”
“...symptoms? Yeah I’m...going to need some context here.”
Satya turned her head back, cautiously meeting eyes once again she let out a small sigh,“Olivia I enjoy your company. Quite frankly I enjoy it a lot.”
She paused a moment to compose herself as her voice was not as strong and she would have liked it to be, “I’m aware that I may come off as stoic and unfeeling but trust me when I say I will be very sad to see you go. You’ve proven yourself not only a loyal friend but a wonderful companion as well.”
Olivia had forgotten to breathe at this moment, Satya’s wet hair dripping along her leg, her bright eyes looking scared as she forced herself to continue.
“I know you don’t hear it but I do, your heart racing every time we are together. And I have come to realize mine has done the same.”
Olivia’s mouth fell open in surprise, now hyper aware of her heart beating wildly out of her chest and ringing in her ears.
However in the stunned silence Satya began to feel regret, slowly sinking back into the water.
“Please respond before I slip into this pool never to return for another century.”
This immediately brought Olivia out of it, leaning forward and reaching out before she slipped away,”Whoa no, you don’t - get back here!”
Cupping her face in a gentle grasp, Olivia leaned in and placed a gentle kiss against her lips.
It didn’t last long, only a few moments as Olivia pulled back in a hurry,“Was that ok? I’ve been wanting to do that for awhile but I didn’t ask and-.”
In one fell swoop Satya’s long body was pulled up out of the water and slipped underneath Olivia’s body, forcing her back to lie onto a bed of scales as Satya leaned forward into a deep kiss.
Olivia’s hands immediately shot up, grasping at her bare back pulling her closer as she felt a tail wrapped around her leg.
Upon pulling away Olivia couldn’t help but laugh, an incredible wave of relief washing over her as she gently bumped foreheads against Satya’s.
“Oh sure, confess your feelings to me a few days before I have to leave.” she grinned, excited to find a mischievous smile on Satya’s face.
“Perhaps if you were to be late to your flight? I’m sure that would be quite the shame wouldn’t it?”
“That would be a shame wouldn’t it?”