[Flashback] The universe does not sing; it hisses

[Silen]

Silen never thought of himself as the adventurous type. Why would he? Since childhood, he had been the well-trained property of an elven matriarch. A fierce pit fighter, decorated with victories and scars — yes. A loyal, disciplined and dedicated bodyguard — yes. No one would call him a coward. But non of those included actual adventure, willingly taken. The word itself meant choosing your own path, and he’d never had such a thing. Even his journey back to Ghael… it wasn’t something he chose, not really. He barely questioned anyone, why would he want to return to a place that had faded into distant shadows at the edges of a young snakeling’s memory.

Making choices for himself was a brand new thing. Maybe Naya would forgive him for not being as daring as she was, if only she knew his story. A story Silen wasn’t in any rush to tell. But she didn’t need to worry about him. He was raised in a place where the motto was: “At any cost.”

"I see." — he nodded to her words about a possible drug kidnapping, showing no signs of judgment.
"Well, it happens, I've heard. It's fine now..." — he glanced at her face. "Unless you want your revenge." — it didn't sound like a suggestion. He was simply stating that vengeance against an unknown enemy is more challenging.

The two nagas slithered along the roadside, heading towards more public areas than the old industrial district.

"As I can tell, our kind stands out here," Silen grumbled, showing the very tips of his fangs. "It's not a burden though."

Her idea of pretending to be his sister seemed to confuse Silen, but he nodded "yes" again, tainted by doubt. "And do you... need medical assistance?" he asked, just in case. "Are you in pain? I can sedate you if you areytBut you probably won't like it." He dropped his eyes to the pavement, lost in thought for a moment.

"Anyway, since we need that money to leave this planet together, I have to visit that human again and get my second half of the fee. I could take you with me, so at least you can talk to him and find out about the gang who held you."

The civilised surroundings of the spaceport city were drawing nearer with every wave of the tail.