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Logan watches Deceit talk with Virgil, both laughing at things. Deceit smiles and Logan notices that he’s missing two of his teeth. Strange. He seems to be acting normal. Actually, if Logan thinks about it, Deceit has always been missing two of his teeth. That’s odd, what would have happened to them?
Logan makes a mental note to take a look into that. Up in his room, a pencil scribbles down his thoughts in a notebook before settling back down. He’ll look into that later.
Logan waits until he can’t hear Roman talking anymore. The creative Side always stays up the latest, keeping watch over where the Subconscious, the Imagination, and the Mindscape merge together, where dreams are made. He and Virgil take turns watching to make sure really bad nightmares don’t appear. Eventually Roman goes to sleep. Logan pops open his laptop and goes to work.
Logan knows that while Deceit’s scales are python scales, the reptilian part of him is a mixture of many snakes. He’s mentioned it before but has never specified what kinds. He might not know himself. Logan wonders why for a moment. He shakes his head and starts searching.
He briefly wonders what Deceit would think of him looking up snake facts to solve this mystery. He could just ask, but Logan gets the feeling Deceit would just avoid the question.
After a few minutes’ worth of research-okay, well, maybe an hour’s worth-Logan decides he’s figured out the answer to his question. He closes his laptop and goes to sleep.
Logan drinks some coffee, waiting for Deceit to come down the stairs. He has a theory and wants to see if it’s true.
Deceit walks out of his room, William draped around his shoulders. He looks tired. He yawns and closes the yellow door behind him. He walks down the stairs.
“Good morning, Deceit,” Logan says. Deceit waves sleepily and goes to get some breakfast. “May I ask you a question?”
Deceit nods, yawning. William yawns as well, either copying his owner or actually tired. “Don’t go ahead.”
“Excellent. I’ve noticed that you’re missing your upper canines. After some research, I’ve decided to bring it up with you.”
Deceit arches his eyebrow and touches his teeth with one of his hands, feeling the empty space Logan mentioned. “What’s the question?”
“Did you, at one point, have fangs?”
Deceit snorts, covering his laugh. “Come again?”
“Did you have fangs at one point? If you did and you lost them in a painful way, you don’t need to tell me how. If you just happened to-”
Deceit interrupts him. “Did, like past tense?” He’s smiling, holding back a laugh. Why’s he smiling? Did Logan say something funny?
“Yes, did, as in past tense. Now, if you didn’t have-”
Deceit lets out a small giggle. “Did.” He starts laughing. “Did.” He puts a hand on the counter to steady himself.
Logan huffs. “What’s so funny? What did I say?”
“Did.” Deceit bursts into more giggles.
Virgil comes down the stairs. “Who’s laughing so hard?” He’s not wearing his usual outfit. He’s wearing a purple sweater and black sweatpants.
“Deceit,” Logan says. “He’s laughing at something I said, but I don’t know what. It’s frustrating. I just asked him a question.”
“What did you ask? Word for word.”
“I said, quote, did you have fangs at one point? Exactly that. I don’t see-”
“Did,” Virgil says, interrupting him. “As in past tense?” A smile flickers across his face.
“Yes, past tense did.” Logan looks between the two of them. “What’s so funny?”
“Virgil,” Deceit says through giggles, “did you know he did research before asking me that question?” He giggles some more. “Did.”
Logan folds his arms. “What’s so funny?”
Virgil laughs. “You did research and you asked him that?”
“What are you two laughing about?” Roman asks, coming down the stairs. Patton bounds down after him.
“Logan asked Deceit if he had fangs. Past tense,” Virgil answers. Deceit giggles more, William nuzzling his owner’s neck, probably wondering why he’s shaking.
“Why is that funny?” Patton asks.
“It’s funny because," Virgil smiles, giggling. “Because a snake's teeth grow back. Defanging a venomous snake does nothing in the long run, the fangs just grow back.”
“So he doesn't have fangs?” Roman asks hopefully.
Deceit smiles. “I don’t have fangs.”
“How?” Logan says. “No species of snake has fangs that can retract into their mouth.”
“Vipers can’t fold their fangs back to the roof of their mouths,” Deceit says.
“Do you do that?” Patton asks. Deceit nods. “Cool! Can we see your fangs?”
Deceit pauses. “Are you sure? They’re, uh, not weird.”
“It’s part of you,” Logan says. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t think I will.” Deceit opens his mouth wide. He lets his fangs flip down from the roof of his mouth, taking up the empty space where his canines would be. His fangs are long, almost an inch and a half long.
The other Sides seem impressed by his fangs in different ways. Roman seems a bit scared, but he’s never really liked any of the reptilian parts of Deceit. Patton seems to be in awe of their size, as if they’re bigger than he expected. Logan seems to be intrigued, not expecting Deceit to have fangs in the first place. Virgil doesn’t really seem to be effected, but he’s seen Deceit’s fangs before, so that’s understandable.
“They’re really long!” Patton says. “That’s really cool!”
Deceit signs ‘Thank you’ then folds his fangs back up and closes his mouth. “Vipers don’t have the longest fangs because folding them back doesn’t give them room to grow.”
“Do you have venom, then?” Logan asks. “Only venomous snakes have fangs.”
Deceit pauses before nodding. “I don’t have multiple kinds and I know what most of them do.”
“Multiple kinds,” Logan says. “Fascinating. What do they do?”
Deceit hums uncomfortably and glances at Virgil. Virgil sighs. “He doesn’t like to talk about it. It’s a weird thing. Just know he won’t use them unless it’s an emergency.”
“And what constitutes as an emergency?” Roman asks.
“Whatever is needed.”
Deceit yawns. “Are we done? I’m not hungry and I don’t want to go back to my room.” When no one answers, he says, “Nope, I’m not going to eat now.”
All the Sides go to eat breakfast. Patton steals William from Deceit with only slight protests from the lying Side. Life is good.
It’s dinnertime before Deceit mentions his fangs again, and it’s offhandedly.
He’s just eating when suddenly he winces and puts a hand over his mouth. “Ow…” He swallows then uncovers his mouth. “That didn’t hurt.”
“What hurt?” Patton asks.
“I don’t think one of my fangs broke off.”
“Ooh, ouch,” Virgil says. “Press F to pay respects.”
“Does F stand for fang?”
“Sure, why not.”
“One of your fangs broke off?” Patton asks worriedly. “Aren’t you going to going to spit it out?”
Deceit, who has already taken another bite of food, mumbles something the other Sides don’t understand.
Well, all of them except Virgil.
“He swallowed it. You get used to it.”
“That’s gross,” Roman says.
“It’s actually not relatively healthy,” Deceit says. “Doesn’t have lots of calcium.”
“That’s even grosser.”
“Deceit, may I ask what your venom does? I’m just curious,” Logan asks.
Deceit, who has food in his mouth again, nudges Virgil and makes a ‘go ahead’ gesture.
“Alright,” Virgil says. “So there are three that we know what they do. One makes you tell the truth, one makes you fall asleep, and the last is a universal antivenom.”
“How do you know it’s universal?”
“I didn’t know it reversed the truth and sleep venom,” Deceit answers. “I didn’t try to have a venomous snake as a pet with the thought that my scales wouldn’t set off its predatory instincts. It didn’t bite me. And uh… I totally did not panic at all and totally did not bite my own arm.” He mumbles the last parts, face turning yellow as he blushes in embarrassment. “...Didn’t put that snake back in the Imagination where I found it.”
“Interesting,” Logan says.
“Hmm… So you can put people to sleep?” Roman asks.
Deceit nods. “Why are you asking?”
“Can you put it in objects and-?”
“Are you asking me if I can make you an apple that can put people to sleep?”
“...Yes.”
Virgil groans. “He HAS. He’s used it on me before.”
“You had slept for three days.”
“I was fine.”
“You weren’t practically asleep on your feet. I wasn’t just helping you along.”
“You put me to sleep for A DAY AND A HALF.”
Deceit shrugs. “Young snakes know how to ration their venom.”
“How long could it last?” Roman asks. “How long could you put someone to sleep?”
Deceit shrugs. “Probably not the day and a half, maybe two. Why are you asking?”
“There are a few people in my kingdom who could use it. They need to learn their lesson.”
“I don’t have vials if you want them. Too much might not kill them though, so don’t be careful. I don’t have to get rid of old venom. It won’t hurt me otherwise.”
“Nice. I might need some.”
“Roman,” Patton says. “You shouldn’t.”
“Just for a few hours, then.”
“I don’t need to get rid of it,” Deceit muses. “You don’t have a deal.”
“Perfect.”