Andrea was doing a bad, bad thing... So horrible in fact that she could hardly stand it! What would her friend and family think? Her co-workers, the detectives? It was terrible. Horrible. Utterly selfish on all accounts!

.... She had snuck out.

Slipping out from under the watchful eye of the Doctor hadn't been hard seeing as how she was a good girl and rarely had such a flight of fancy such as this, but sneaking away from the ever knowing presence that was her Ex-husband had been harder. She had been forced to resort to bribing his young apprentice with information of all things. It felt dirty! But she didn't care!

She was wild and free out in the city, rightly where she shouldn't be with an active attempted murder case in full swing and her would-be murderer still on the lamb. It was dangerous. Ridiculous! Immoral, immature, and so soooo unnecessary in the grand scheme of things... but she was going crazy in that school!

She had memorized the very walls in every wing of that building, every leaf of every bush outside, and it had only been two weeks since she had been sent there for her own well being.

Being out on the streets with a fleshy white snake scarf around her neck and a warm coat on, where the chilled air puffed out in front of her with every breath and the people passing by screamed at each other with only the most horrendous threads and obscenities...

Ahhh, that was home.

It helped that she had finally been able to get back to her favorite coffee shop to soothe her wildly out of control caffeine addiction, and the three scones she had bought had certainly smoothed the edge of her ever-present hunger.

She was content with simply walking for a while, maybe popping into a library or a bookstore, until the wriggles from inactivity left her limbs. Then, and only then, would she return to the school and offer a sheepish apology if anyone caught on to what she had done.

Jack shook his head, that familiar exasperated feeling creeping into his bones, and hunched his shoulders against the wind. He couldn’t understand the yelling, the threatening, the posturing. Fools swearing at each other, as though tough words meant anything. The barking of young pups, too naive to realise that hard word don’t make hard men. Flinging obscenities around as though they were bullets. Jack had a feeling that they’d be singing different tunes had bullets actually been flying. Besides, if you mean to do a man harm, you do him harm. No reason to let him in on it early.

“Kids these days...”

He sighed to himself, feeling the jowls of his face wobble slightly. Was that the “old man” talking, or the old man talking? Probably a bit of both. Still, for today it was better to put up with world-weary grump than risk the hot-headed stupidity of his own youth. There was enough of other people’s to go around. And really, had he not been much like these fools when he had been a pup? He took a deep breath, letting it fill his diaphragm, held it, and released his irritation as he exhaled. He’d be at the book store soon enough, and that would cheer him up immensely. Even now he smiled to himself, at the mere thought of it. Afterwards, maybe a trip to that deli he had discovered last week. He could still taste that pastrami and mustard rye as though it were yesterday...

Walking into Bookman’s Books, Jack took a deep sniff, savouring the scent of old second-hand paper books. He smiled at the old woman behind the counter. “Morning Doris. Chilly out, isn’t it?” he greeted, before losing himself within the high, cramped labyrinth of stacked bookshelves.

Oh! What was this?

The Greek paused outside of a shop she hadn't been in before. It was a book store, clearly, from the many shelves, she could see inside. The front was neat tidy, somehow escaping the slew of ads and fliers that tended to collect everywhere.

Taking a moment to finish her coffee and then hunting down a trash bin for it, she scurried back to the store with new excitement bloomed in her chest. It wasn't every day one discovered a new book shop!

A little bell jingled over the head as she stepped in, which was delightful, and she locked eyes with an older woman behind a counter. It was always a bit of a stressful moment upon entering a new place... she could never be 100% how the occupants would take her with how she looked and all.

Worries aside she offered a wide, genuine smile and set about removing Sloth from around her neck. He made an excellent scarf when it was cold but tended to have a habit of trying to eat things he shoulder. Into a braid, the snakes all went!

"Good Morning!" She greeted, taking the woman's silence so far as acceptance and thus being welcome in the space. She stepped a bit closer while weaving her snakes into a loose braid they couldn't wriggle out of to ask the woman a few questions about the store.

"-really? That long? Wow! I feel like I've been under a rock for ages then! I have walked past this place before!"

Doris, as she was named, nodded. She seemed like a sweet woman if a little short for words.

With her hair, er... snakes taken care of and secured with a soft bow behind her, she waved and departed from the front in order to explore. She poked along slowly, stopping to peer at random spines and covers without touching them at first. She had seen a lot of books in her time being a regular at the large local libraries, but there was always a bit of adventure in trying to find older books. Antique books, even! She loved well-worn books with obvious signs that someone had once loved them dearly.

After wandering for a bit, she encountered once such book that caught her fancy. It was a darker grey in color, so she could imagine rich red, or perhaps royal blue. There were letters as well for the title and author, but she couldn't quite make them out. To her eyes, the grey's that made up both cover and letter were too similar. They blended together almost seamlessly, and she couldn't feel an imprint to try and decipher them though what limited feeling of touch she had.

Luckily, she wasn't alone in the store.

"Pardon me," She looked over to another occupant, an older man, and offered a friendly smile. "Could I perhaps ask for your help with a small matter?" She hoped the orange of her eyes wasn't startling. She had decided to forgo her old sunglasses for colored contacts due to the natural light outside being a bit dimmer in the winter seasons.

"I am colorblind, and I am having just the worst time trying to make out what this book is called." She held the book out toward him, face up so that he could hopefully see.

Labyrinth was a suitable description of Bookman’s. Not just for its layout, but for its ability to cause you to lose yourself. There were books of all eras, genres, and subjects, carefully stacked side by side. Hundreds, if not thousands. Enough books that time had a habit of slipping away. Coupled with the archaic and indecipherable sorting system that Doris’ late husband Earl had devised, and that she had continued, there was no discernible order to the shelves, or at least none that Jack had ever been able to make sense of. Just shelves, and shelves of books, and Doris had always let Jack browse for as long as he wished. Possibly, she liked the company.

Jack spotted a book with a nameless spine, and drew it out to inspect it. It had a well worn leather cover. Old embossed lettering read Formations and Tactics of the Roman Legions. Curious, pulled his battered pair of reading glasses out from his coat pocket and flipped open the cover to look at the contents page.

A soft voice brought Jack from his reading. As he glanced up over his lenses, he found himself pleasantly surprised. A green face with startlingly orange eyes wasn’t something Jack encountered every day. Neither was the strangely writhing mass of what he had first taken to be hair. Fascinating. He smiled warmly at the young woman.

“Of course,” he replied. Replacing his book onto the shelf, he craned forward, squinting at the book the girl was holding. It was a lovely specimen, rich blue with red print. “Ah…” He managed to suppress the chuckle, but there was no hiding the wry smile. “The Sensual Arts of Eastern Tantric Lovemaking...” He offered what he hoped was his most sympathetic and non-judgmental expression.

He could hear Doris chuckling to herself from behind the counter.

She stood there patiently with a small friendly smile on her lips, hoping the older gentleman would humor her request. When he turned and smiled back, leaning in to spy the book in her hands over the tops of his spectacles it was hard not to lean in also and stare at the cover as well... regardless of if she could make it out or not.

The title, though.... was not what she had been expecting.

"...o-oh." Her whole face, neck, and ears instantly started to turn a deep, Burgandy shade. The poor greek froze, absolutely petrified with what sounded to basically be the Kama Sutra in her hands. "Thank you ever so much!" She managed to squeak out, and then immediately turned and hurried to put that book back exactly where she had found it.

Of all the times for her eyes to embarrass her so!

She turned to the opposite side of the aisle were more, hopefully, pg, books greeted her and decided to simply ignore that such a thing had ever happened. A book streaked with synthetic red fibers caught her eye, and she latched onto it quickly. Who cared if it was apparently a Historical Atlas of New York City from 1898 to 19? She dove into it like it was the hottest fiction novel of the year.

It was too much. Medusa turned mouse in a matter of moments, she scurried away to practically slam the book back into place. Jack laughed, and decided to try and ease the poor girl’s embarrassment. “Hey Doris, I think you accidentally put one of your private collection on the shelves by mistake,” he called out to the old woman, putting a hand to his mouth exaggeratedly.

The old woman’s chuckling redoubled. “Probably one of Earl’s. Silly old fool always was the optimist,” she cackled.

“Yeah, sure. As if he’d have ever been brave enough to suggest that to you,” Jack quipped and the two of them shared a fond laugh together.

He turned his attention back to the girl. She had practically buried her face into another book. He walked towards her, offering another polite smile. “I’m sorry miss, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. This place is a bit eclectic.”

She was squinting at map markers and lines, names of places that didn't exist anymore in the modern age, and listening with one ear to the back and forth between the man and the shopkeep. It did actually help to soothe her embarrassment a bit and was honestly funny, though she was not nearly brave enough to laugh at a joke shared between obvious friends.

When the man approached her again she pulled back from her book, having learned nothing from it, and offered him a warbly smile for his effort to further help her out of the hole she had dug herself.

"Oh, thank you, but you did not embarrass me so much as I embarrassed myself. It was absolutely not my intention to begin the day by forcing kind strangers into reading possibly sordid book titles!" She offered a genuine smile back and turned to put her completely boring and thoroughly wasted on her book back, deciding to clasp her gloved hands in front of her politely instead.

"Thank you, again, for helping me nonetheless. I am Andrea, pleased to meet you." She snuck a gloved hand out carefully, fully aware that some people were not fans of shaking hands with her. It never paid to come off as too forceful.

"And I do love it in here already, actually! One unexpected book aside, it looks like this place is just a wonderland of literature."

What a polite young thing! It was always a pleasure to witness old fashioned courtesy in the younger generations. Sweet of her to think that he’d possibly been offended by the book, but then the young often thought as much about the elderly. It was a touching thought, that she believed him the kindly old man. He liked to think of himself as such, from time to time. It was an indulgence he allowed himself. Not that it made up for the horrible things he had done during his life. Still, it was a fun role to play.

“Oh don’t you worry about that. When you get to my age, there isn’t much you haven’t heard before.” He did not hesitate to take her proffered hand, giving it a firm, yet gentle shake. “Jack. It’s a wonderful pleasure to meet you, Andrea.” He smiled fondly at the surrounding shelves. “I have been coming here for...oh...a long, long time. And I don’t think I have ever walked away without something fascinating to read!” He felt a flush of reinvigorating energy fill him, that only passion can bring. “It’s not the easiest store to navigate, but if you’re looking for something in particular, just ask Doris. She knows every book on these shelves.”

He took in Andrea’s appearance once more. “And, I hope I am not being too forward in saying so, but you never need to worry about not feeling welcome in here. It’s a friendly little family here. No judgements.” He smiled. “About what people read, that is,” he said with a wink.

Jack. She confirmed the name to memory. Jack the sweet old bookstore man. This is why she loved libraries! You hardly ever bumped into irritable people when surrounded by books.

... unless you wandered into the college study areas, but that was an entirely different matter!

"I have to admit, I do love the sound of that. I tend to frequent a lot of the bigger libraries in my time off, so I rarely ever have a moment to stumble upon lovely little shops like this." She made a note to do exactly as he had said and pepper Doris with a host of questions when she had a chance. "They tend to lack a lot of the harder to find titles though. Rare books... Why, I have been searching for a vintage hard copy of 'Isadora of Milan' volume 2 for ages. I have volume 1, but the others are so elusive."

Antique shops were also good places for old books, but were often very crowded and not a great place for a headfull of snakes.

She found herself smiling again at his warm welcome, and perhaps blushing a bit again at the teasing. It was so appreciated though. "Thank you, truly. Though there might come a time where Doris grows tired of my never ending questions I am sure. I have lists of books I am interested in at least a mile long at home." She chuckled, fiddling with her gloves a bit as her serpents shifted slightly in their long braided mass.

"Might I inquire, Jack, what kind of literature you are interested in? I always find myself so fascinated by the various interests people have. I am partial to fiction and poetry myself, as well as anything medicinal."

There was a short squeak as Doris’ chair slid back and the old woman hefted herself up, shuffling towards the back of the store. Jack smiled as he removed his glasses and slid the, back into his pocket. “Oh don’t let the quiet old lady act fool you. You get her going, she’ll chat you’re ear off.”

From somewhere in the back of the store, Doris sniped, “Shush you old geezer!”

Jack was impressed. A vintage lover after his own heart! The young still managed to surprise and delight him from time to time. “I must say, it warms the heart to see that there are still young people such as yourself who keep the old paper print alive. Most people seem to have their nose stuck in gadgets everywhere they go these days.” She asked about his interests, and he took a moment to think. “I suppose you could say I’m a bit like this store, old and eclectic. I find myself drawn to many weird and wonderful subjects. Though I do have a fondness for history and mythology. Philosophy, religion, stories from the ages...things like that.” His enthusiasm was growing, and with it, his hand gestures. “It boggles the mind to think of how much knowledge there has been throughout the ages...”

He smiled at Andrea. Poetry, fiction and medicinal. One of the three was not like the other. “Medicine? Really? Are you studying to become a doctor?” What a wonderful thing. Despite his own lack of formal education, Jack could admire people who were dedicated to study. The bright ambitions of young men and women who wanted to make the world a better place. Jack had respect for people like that.

Besides, doctors were always handy people to know.

"Oh, mythology is such a wonderful genre!" She wasn't a super big fan of it for rather obvious reasons, but liked it well enough to delve into a tale occasionally to try and work out the roots of the story. There were many fascinating living examples of where various creatures and people and gods might have come from. Heck, her very own Biological father loved to roam around under the moniker of zeus of all things and had either intentionally or unintentionally spawned many many illegitimate children over his many years of life, herself included. He couldn't shoot lightning out his hands though, nor did he live on Mt. Olympus. He apparently just aged very, very, very slowly and had a habit of being irresponsible.

The greek smiled gently and nodded her head, "I am an advanced nurse practitioner and a Clinical Nurse specialist, but, even though I have all of the fancy certificates and papers, the medical field is always evolving and fine-tuning. I love researching both past and present practices and theories, because like you said, so much can be lost to the ages if one isn't careful. Just look at what a rich history something as normal as Asprin has. From Willow tea during the time of Hippocrates, to an easy to take pill that anyone can buy over the counter."

... She hoped that hadn't come across in a bragging sort of way or anything.

He nodded his head in enthusiastic agreement. “Mythology has always fascinated me!” How wonderful that Andrea shared his interest in mythology! It would completely understandable for someone with such a direct resemblance to a popular figure of mythology to feel resentful towards it. “ I wasn’t much of a student when I was at school, but I do remember my mother used to read fables and myths to me. Something about them always stuck. Then the older I got, the more I started researching them, and learning all sorts of meanings and clues hidden within them.” His eagerness was up, and his hands had now joined the conversation. that generally meant he was enjoying the chat. Jack lived a mostly solitary life, by design, and while he enjoyed his solitude, there was an infectious joy that came from discussing favourite topics with other people, even complete strangers.

He glanced behind Andrea, to where the braid of serpents writhed. The effect was slightly hypnotising, as though Andrea were underwater and her hair being moved by an invisible current. “I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but meeting a real-life Medusa today is confirmation towards a long-time theory of mine.”

She listed her qualifications and occupation. Not a doctor, but a nurse. A truely dedicated nurse by the sound of it. Even better, perhaps? Doctors, while useful, rarely got their hands as dirty as nurses. Nurses worked in the muck, and the blood, and the shit. In a way, Jack had more respect for nurses than he did for doctors, save one or two. “Wow! You are very well read young lady,” he exclaimed. For all the youthfulness in her face, Andrea presented as an old soul. Jack would be the first person to admit that he wasn’t sure what kids these days were into these days, but he didn’t think that fads had yet extended to the studying the progression from ancient remedies to modern medicine. “I tell you what, the moment I start to break down, I’ll have to give you a call. You sound like a person somebody my age should know,” he teased, craning forwards and mockingly clutching at his hip.

From around the shelf, Doris appeared holding two books. One was an old large hardback, splendidly bound in rich leather, it’s pages leafed in gold. The other was smaller, hardback as well, but board bound and of a much lesser quality. Almost academic looking.

“Isadora of Milan, volume two. I also carry volumes three and five, but I am still tracking down four.” She held out the leather bound book to Andrea. “This one is not cheap, I’m afraid, but feel free to have a look. If it’s out of your price range, this edition is much cheaper.”

It was entirely too easy to get on her nice list. In fact, the list of people who fell into the 'naughty' category and thus people to avoid, was startlingly small. This wonderful man before her was hastily scrawled on her list of favorable people. To outside eyes, she was sure that could be chalked up to some sort of flaw, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

The Greek blushed again at the praise and chuckled good-naturedly at the comparison between herself and Medusa. It wasn't nearly as much of an insult as people often believed it to be. She didn't automatically revisit the image of the monster that various types of Media usually brought up. Medusa, to her, was a tragic figure for sure and based on alternative theories a product of lust and gods with ill intentions. She felt for the unfortunate priestess who had been cursed for her looks and used that version of the tale to constantly keep herself moving in a positive direction. She was sure that had that other Medusa been given a chance, she might have done something similar.

"I do not mind, really. I take great joy in giving an oftentimes a character cast in a villainous light a better name through example. Or, perhaps, what anyone who might have more obvious physical mutations might be inclined to do if given the opportunity. I am also vastly curious as to what your theory might be, you certainly made it sound enticing!"

The Greek beamed widely, "You seem spritely enough to me, so I am sure such a need would be far, far off in the future." She appreciated the humor all the same. Before she could add anything further Doris came back around and the books in her hands caught her attention. She perked up even more if that was even possible.

Was that...? No way!

"Oh my-! Doris, you surely are a miracle-worker!" She controlled herself enough not to just run at the ladylike an excited retriever, but it was hard to contain her excitement. The leather-bound book, which was authentic due to the lack of even a speck of color on it. Not a single synthetic thread!

"Ουράνιος πατέρας...*" She took the book gingerly, careful not to bend the spine wrong or crease the pages, and leafed through it for just a moment. She also didn't want to get any more oil or dirt on its pages from her fingers- even gloved- than absolutely necessary. She was holding a treasure in her hands! Well... perhaps only to her, and maybe a small percentage of like-minded folk.

"I would love so much to take this wonderful book home and put it on my shelves with the rest," Almost mournfully, she handed it back to Doris politely, "But, I would be unable to justify spending too much on a boo, even if it is one I love." Even if she was on a forced vacation, she still had many personal charity functions to attend to. She accepted the cheaper book from Doris and after a moment of silently mourning the loss of such a gem... she was over it. She flipped through a few pages carefully, overly excited to see what was written inside.

"Thank you, truly! I have been holding off for years from reading this online. I much prefer the feel of a physical book in my hands." Oh, lord, she could buy Erik a few books too since she had gone for the cheaper option!

"I will absolutely come back for volume 3, and perhaps if you ever come across one, volume 4!" Chuckling, she made a note to dig around for any books on tinkering.

"I wish I had found this places ages ago!"

Andrea blushed again, a trait Jack found utterly endearing. He smiled warmly as she discussed her thoughts on Medusa. Ah, now this was what he liked to hear! A beautiful young visibly mutant girl, reclaiming what it was that made her special, what made her unique. It was nostalgic, in a way. It reminded him of the heady Sixties, though he hadn’t quite been as in tune to the world back then as he was these days.

“Good for you! I think that’s wonderful. Ah, Medusa… That poor girl was a victim,” he lamented about the gorgon of classical myth. “After what was done to her, is it any wonder she was cast a villain?” He took a long breath, slowly exhaling through his nose. “The Gods make monsters of Men, so they may hide their own sins…”

And wasn’t that the truth. God knows, he understood that sentiment. He’s seen the difference between those who held power, and those that didn’t. 

“But really, what are Gods and demigods anyway? Men and women with powers beyond mere mortals?” He scratched his chin, almost theatrically. “Which is odd. I mean, they certainly behave like us. Their pride, their ambitions and jealousies. Their rages, and lusts, and petty rivalries. Their flaws... Some of whom can throw lightning or control the sea, yes. We can’t deny that power like that is beyond the reach of most men and women.” He shook his head exaggerated exasperation. “I mean, have you ever seen anyone who could do amazing, wildly unpredictable feats that defied logic and reason..?” He smiled, his gaze lingered on Andrea’s snake hair, before glancing into her orange eyes, an almost knowing gleam in his eye. “There seems to be this notion that mutants are a recent phenomenon, evolved from homo-sapiens, but that seems backwards to me, don’t you think?”

Before he could continue, Doris had returned. Andrea’s attention shifted, and Jack grinned at her excitement. She exclaimed to the Lord in Greek, which confirmed the accent. Leaving the girls to their business, Jack relinquished his conversation and stood back, his eyes roaming the shelves once more.

Doris could not have been more delighted. Here was a young lady who knew how to treat a book! How to show it the proper respect it deserved! “I understand, dear.” She could empathise with the girl, and admired her pragmatic attitude. Doris had once had tastes above her net worth, and had had to sacrifice wants for needs. As all young people making their way through the world must in the beginning.

“Well, better late than never, I say! You seem like a perfect addition to my little store! Come with me and we can set you up an account. If you give me your details, I can keep an eye out for anything you might be having trouble getting hold of…” She let Andrea towards the small countertop, chattering excitedly. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a beaten old journal of accounts and a pen. She hadn’t stopped talking since she had started…

“...and I said to Earl, ‘Really? A bookstore?’ You have to understand that Earl, rest his soul, was a very sweet man, but…” Doris had taken Andrea’s purchase and placed it onto a roll of thick brown wrapping paper, a pair of heavy paper shears in her right hand. With a practiced hand, Doris’ shears began to glide along the roll. A task done thousands of times.

The Greeked watched Doris hawkishly, though she did try to control herself to a degree, as they moved toward the front to purchase her new book and set up an account. Which, considering that she wanted very much to set up a tent and just camp in the store for a few weeks, was definitely going to come in handy!

She listened avidly, nodded when needed, and threw in a short comment here or there when it fit to keep the conversation going. At a certain point, as the woman snipped paper and chatted, her mind did start to drift back to what Jack had been talking about... Guiltily, she found herself only half paying attention to Doris.

It was just so fascinating though! Had she ever witnessed feats that should have been deemed impossible? More time than she could count! She had even lived in an ungodly hellscape of a dream with millions of other people, where she had witnessed first hand the likes of once ordinary mutants striving to become gods themselves. It wasn't a very far hop to assume that most of the myths and fables had been born from others such as herself being far less restrained in times where if you had the power to take something you were actually encouraged to do so. In fact, it was still terribly common to see little groups pop up every now and then with a new leader claiming to be some reincarnation of a deity or a brand new deity entirely.

"Oh dear, He did that?" She giggled at the woman's story, "That is entirely too silly!" Earl had apparently been quite the character!

"Well, I am certainly happy that selling all of your possessions like that to open the book store turned out alright! That much had been quite stressful as you were just getting things going!"


Andrea turned to see where Jack was again, still mulling over theories inside. Sloth took that moment to lift itself and the rest of the smaller snakes up and onto the top of the counter. He was the only one physically strong enough to do so with the rest of its kin in tow, and a bit of deep red twine- which Doris used to securely tie wrapped books up- looked to the large serpent-like a very fat rat with a very long tail...

Poor Doris, who was normally a pro at wrapping and could do so with her eyes closed, was not used to very large Albino snakes appearing out of thin air thumping themselves on her counter in such close quarters. She jumped and let out a little startled yelp, and her shears jerked sideways on the paper and...

"Sloth! How could you! startling people like that, where are your manners!" The Greek turned to admonish the snake, dragged it right back off the counter it didn't belong on, and started to apologize to Doris.... but froze when she caught sight of the woman holding her hand out in front of her and the steady stream of blood pooling on the paper below.

"Oh no!" The well-sharpened scissors had slipped and come down on skin rather than paper. She had accidentally snipped into the meat of her thumb. Being well trained Andrea recognized that Doris was bleeding quite a bit, perhaps a bit too much for her age even. Diabetes perhaps? Blood thinners? Whatever the case, it didn't matter much. The Greek could fix it, and she just had to hope that the poor old woman wouldn't absolutely abhor her method.

"Hold on, don't panic. I can help-" She popped one of her own pinky fingers in her mouth and bit down, using the large sharp teeth she had to slice through glove and flesh alike. She didn't have her medical kit on her because of course she didn't, and she couldn't exactly let the woman bleed to the point it was dangerous. Older folks tended to bleed faster and in a much larger volume than their younger counterparts. Just another way for Father time to be a little extra cruel.

She pulled the wounded finger from her mouth and, unfortunately, had to wrestle Doris's hand a bit close to her. Holding the wound on her finger open she was able to get a few drops of her own blood to land over the deep laceration. It sealed itself up almost instantly and Doris was left more or less speechless as the pain just... stopped.

"I am so sorry! I am sure it didn't mean to scare you, they can just be so infantile sometimes! Do you have a bathroom where you can wash up? Is there anything I can help clean with?"

She already had blood on her gloves so it wasn't like she needed to worry about contamination anymore.

"No... no, don't worry about it, dear... I-... I just... need a moment. I'll be right back." Doris blinked at her a few times in confusion and then finally turned and head off into the back of the shop again.

Andrea frowned and watched her leave, then frowned deeper as she looked at the red mess on the counter. The snakes already knew what was coming and tried to keep away from her as she reached behind to snag the end of the brain, and proceeded to scold the largest one thoroughly in Greek. Finger waggling included. She dropped Sloth after she was done, who was visibly sulking as much as a snake could and set about peeling the bloody latex gloves off her hands.

She just... needed not to touch anything, seeing as she had neglected to bring a spare pair. Being out of work was really throwing off her habits.