Work Text:
I’d only truly met her once.
She came into the library with a camera wrapped around her neck and guarded by her hands. Truth be told, she unnerved me. She was freakishly tall and had two snakes coming out of her mouth. Her hair was clearly unbrushed, and yet it was tied up in a bun that looked..strangely cute. She was wearing a lap coat. I didn’t know how to react to any of that. That is, until I saw her tail and deduced that she was a lamia.
She walked around as if looking for something, before seeing me. I had figured she was looking for a specific book. I cleared my throat and spoke up, asking a simple question in an attempt to help her and, you know, do my job.
“Can…can I help you with anything..?”
She turned her head a couple times to see where the voice came from, before finally noticing me. Her face physically lit up. She released the camera, letting it gently bounce against her chest. She slithered across the linoleum floor to the librarian’s nook, and I gulped. The sound that her tail made against the floor…impossible to explain. Don’t ask me too. I will say, however, that it sounded soothing. Even if it was for a slight second, it calmed my nerves. It calmed me down so much that I forgot to move the beer can under my desk. But when I finally realized I hadn’t hidden it, she was up in my face. And good god above, did she surprise me.
She was even weirder up close. She had freckles splattered all over her face, and two pale green eyes that seemed the draw you in and keep you there, like a Venus fly trap. She had berry red cheeks and her breath smelled heavily of bubblegum and some sort of drug, but she wasn’t chewing anything. Her eyes had a sparkle in them that spewed excitement and her demeanor was one of a child who convinced their mother to let them buy something at an icecream truck. She couldn’t have been more than 25. I opened my mouth to say something when she cut me off.
“Can I take a picture with you??”
“I..I beg your pardon?”
She fidgeted and jumped in place, either out of excitement or anticipation, I’ll never know. I took the time that she was focused on me to hide the beer can under the desk. She watched my every move, and her eyes spoke volumes about how she felt about my actions, but her voice stayed on mute. When it did reveal itself again, it was even more chipper than the last time.
“A picture! I go to Genéthlia University, just a couple miles down the road! I take a photography major, and our semester project is to record and capture memories of ourselves with other people, landscapes, and places! I thought I’d come in here to take a picture with the Greek Mythology book section, but I have no pictures with another person yet, and you have me the idea to ask you!”
I just sat there and blinked once. Then twice. Meanwhile, she looked as if she’d explode due to her giddy demeanor.
“So can I??”
I thought over the possibilities in my head. She was young, around my age, and yet she still went to college? For a photography major? Dressed like that ?? But then again, she might’ve missed out after high school and just now returned to start college…and the jacket could just be a fashion statement…and I didn’t particularly have the best hygiene when I was in college either. Hell, I don’t particularly have the best hygiene now. My breath smells like a colorful mix of beer and wine tangled into each other 24/7. After a few more minutes, I shrugged, pushed up my glasses, and turned to her.
“..sure. I don’t see why not. Do you only need one picture?”
“Yep!!”
“Alright then..I suppose I can do that.”
The look of joy that erupted onto her face at the mention of those words is indescribable. She squealed like a pig and turned down to look at her camera, fidgeting with buttons that probably controlled the flash or time or something. After a minute or two of her messing with the device and some think, awkward silence, she turned the camera facing towards me and leaned into the imaginary frame, as if she was taking a selfie on her phone. She put her hand up in a half-heart formation, and looked at me expectantly. I was too focused on smiling for the camera that it took a gentle nudge from her to snap back to my senses. I glanced at her hand and quickly copied the notion, fumbling a few times before getting a solid duplicate of hers, but on the alternate hand. When I looked back at the camera and smiled, she snapped the photo. It lazily rolled out the top, and she quickly yanked it from the camera, shaking it wildly before stopping after a minute and stomping place, presumably stimming. I tried to peer over her shoulder to see, and as if she knew my next move, she whipped back around and shoved the photo in my face.
“It’s perfect!,” She’d said. “Thank you!”
I surveyed the picture, pleasantly surprised by how well it turned out. It wasn’t blurry, the flash wasn’t too bright, and it was the perfect position for what she’d had in mind. I suppose me doubting her on her photography major was poor thinking skills. This girl truly knew what she was doing.
“So??” She squealed excitedly. “What do you think?? Do you wanna retake??”
“…huh? What? Oh, no. I think this is perfect. This is one of the only photos taken of me where I look good.”
We shared a chuckle, and I heard her mutter something under her breath that I couldn’t quite catch. She out her hand out, and I hesitated when giving her the photo.
“I..do you mind if I borrow this?”
Her smile slightly faltered, but she responded with genuine confusion and no hint of anger or annoyance in the slightest.
“Huh?”
“I-I actually..uh.. really like this photo of me. You must be acing your photography course, because you did wonderful on this. I..I wanted to know if I could just..quickly photo copy it in the office photo copier in the back..?”
The moment I sent praise her way, her smile returned but tenfold. She yet again stomped in place, even spinning in circles, before quickly nodding. I nervously smiled back to her and ran to the back of the office, fumbling to open the lid of the photo copier. I saw the other librarians sneak confused glances at me and utter gossip to one another, but ignored them. I finally got the thing opened, and I slipped the photograph into the box, pressing some buttons before hearing the laser. A few seconds later, a piece of paper with the picture on it slipped out, and I hurriedly plucked it and the original material out of the machine, bolting back to the front desk. I set the paper down on my desk and handed the photograph back to the lamia, huffing from all the fast action and running. When she got the photo back, she smiled warmly and excitedly, turning to me.
“Thank you so much!! I really hope you like my photograph!!”
“I..I do. Don’t worry.”
“Good!! I’m so glad!! Hey, and by the way..”
She slipped a small piece of cardstock across the counter, onto my desk. It had a phone number, address, and email address in it. I took it in my hands, tumbling it back and forth as my fingers got used to its sharp edges.
“I..what is this?”
“It’s my business card!! I do some..freelance photography as a side job. The address is my office! Which is also my house. If you want more photos taken like that, just message me! I’ll take whatever photos you want.”
“..wow, th-..thank you. I’ll think about it.”
She smiled at me, and her grin spoke volumes. She turned towards the entrance, original photograph and camera in hand, and slithered towards the exit. She waved at me from behind, and I thought about stopping her. Before I could get my voice to cooperate though, the door slammed shut and I was yet again alone. I looked at the business card and the photocopied picture, gently smiling at both.
“What a strange lamia. I hope I’ll get to see her again..”
And see her again I would.