HOME | DD

Description
There already is a cluster of young snake people when the Boomslang arrives at the place. She's been having her own guesses already when she was called outside because of a brawl. And, of course, she had guessed right, as always. Right in the middle of this cluster she spots something grey flashing, two students wedged into one another. She breaks her way through the crowd of young snakes and she can just see a grey tail whipping through the air; shortly after, a shrill cry of pain can be heard.
"Get apart!", the Boomslang woman yells, "THIS instant! Keriseph, let go of Rens!"
She can just barely grab the Mamba boy, pulling him away from his fellow student. He - Keykos Rens, a young but already quite sturdy Gaboon Viper - is lying on the ground, whimpering and with a bleeding snout. The lecturer feels anger rushing through her veins as she realises the scale of this new brawl.
"Daraiphios Keriseph", she hisses, "You come with me into the office, now. Have you understood?" The Black Mamba stubbornly avoids her stare, spitting on the ground.

***

The Boomslang shakes her head. She goes through the pages of a file, sighs, flickers with her tongue in a disgruntled manner, shakes her head once more.
"I don't know what else I should do with you, Na-Rai. I just don't. How many more schools do you plan to change? You've just beaten out Keykos' fangs. Do you even realise that?"
The Mamba lad doesn't reply. He just looks out of the window, bored.
"Na-Rai", the lecturer tries again. "There are other ways to solve conflicts. Do you understand that? Please, listen to me. You should-"
This is where he suddenly gets up. "No, you are listening to me now", he hisses, and the fierceness in his voice instantly puts her to silence. His traces of anger are dancing so wild that the whole room starts to shimmer.
"Do you even know what that fucker did? What he's been doing for months, what happens on the schoolyard each and every day?", the Mamba lad snarls. "Do you have any idea what kind of little despots this fuckschool is rearing? No, you don't. Or....you do. Yes, you do know all too well. You look away. That's the worst part of it."
"Daraiphios-"
"Oh, sod you." He pays zero attention to the shock in her face. He just sits down. All the anger is gone. There is nothing left in his voice but leady indifference. "Whatever, expel me then. Nothing will change anyway. But this asshole that Keykos is will at least remember that."

***

He can sense dozen pairs of eyes gawking at him as he is leaving the office. Bitch, please. As if loss of face had ever mattered to him. He would have loved nothing better than leaving this damn place right now and for good, but there is still something he yet has to do. He doesn't have to search for long, as he finds the Colubrid girl exactly where he had expected her to be. She is cowering hidden behind the big oak tree, almost at the border of the college. She flinches as she sees him, about to flee, not letting him come any closer. She is younger than him, at least two classes his junior. More vulnerable than a brittle leaf under a shoe. To her, he means danger. Yet another venomous snake, just like Keykos. Daraiphios recalls the historic Venom Wars that were fought some forty years ago and feels the taste of disgust inside his mouth.
He fishes something out of his pocket. It is a little piece of jewelry. The Colubrid girl's eyes widen as she recognises it. It is made out of cheap plastic and probably comes from some vending machine. But to her, it means a lot.
"Here" he just says. "Your brooch that he stole from you. It is still undamaged. That piece of shit will never again boast with his venomous fangs and bully you."
She gasps in terror. Indecisively, she clings to the oak tree's bark, still hiding herself. As she looks up, there is an unsettling fear in her eyes.
"I've seen what you did", she whispers. And all of a sudden, he realises that the reason of her fear is him. This, as well as her words, dismay him more than he would have liked to admit. "He will take vengeance for this", she says tonelessly. "You just made it worse."
Before he can reply anything, she pushes herself away from the tree, fleeing from him.
He stays still. Looks at the brooch in his hand. Then, he lays it down near the oak. When he gets up again, he once more crosses the staring gaze of a fellow student.
"What", he snaps harshly. "Wanna piece o' me? Piss off, man!"
The other young snake hastily leaves. Only an idiot would dare to mess with Darai.

Daraiphios himself doesn't give a damn, neither about his bad reputation nor anything else. He leaves the schoolyard with gloomy thoughts.
~

A young Daraiphios, in the year dot.

story, character and writing (c)
&

Description
There already is a cluster of young snake people when the Boomslang arrives at the place. She's been having her own guesses already when she was called outside because of a brawl. And, of course, she had guessed right, as always. Right in the middle of this cluster she spots something grey flashing, two students wedged into one another. She breaks her way through the crowd of young snakes and she can just see a grey tail whipping through the air; shortly after, a shrill cry of pain can be heard.
"Get apart!", the Boomslang woman yells, "THIS instant! Keriseph, let go of Rens!"
She can just barely grab the Mamba boy, pulling him away from his fellow student. He - Keykos Rens, a young but already quite sturdy Gaboon Viper - is lying on the ground, whimpering and with a bleeding snout. The lecturer feels anger rushing through her veins as she realises the scale of this new brawl.
"Daraiphios Keriseph", she hisses, "You come with me into the office, now. Have you understood?" The Black Mamba stubbornly avoids her stare, spitting on the ground.

***

The Boomslang shakes her head. She goes through the pages of a file, sighs, flickers with her tongue in a disgruntled manner, shakes her head once more.
"I don't know what else I should do with you, Na-Rai. I just don't. How many more schools do you plan to change? You've just beaten out Keykos' fangs. Do you even realise that?"
The Mamba lad doesn't reply. He just looks out of the window, bored.
"Na-Rai", the lecturer tries again. "There are other ways to solve conflicts. Do you understand that? Please, listen to me. You should-"
This is where he suddenly gets up. "No, you are listening to me now", he hisses, and the fierceness in his voice instantly puts her to silence. His traces of anger are dancing so wild that the whole room starts to shimmer.
"Do you even know what that fucker did? What he's been doing for months, what happens on the schoolyard each and every day?", the Mamba lad snarls. "Do you have any idea what kind of little despots this fuckschool is rearing? No, you don't. Or....you do. Yes, you do know all too well. You look away. That's the worst part of it."
"Daraiphios-"
"Oh, sod you." He pays zero attention to the shock in her face. He just sits down. All the anger is gone. There is nothing left in his voice but leady indifference. "Whatever, expel me then. Nothing will change anyway. But this asshole that Keykos is will at least remember that."

***

He can sense dozen pairs of eyes gawking at him as he is leaving the office. Bitch, please. As if loss of face had ever mattered to him. He would have loved nothing better than leaving this damn place right now and for good, but there is still something he yet has to do. He doesn't have to search for long, as he finds the Colubrid girl exactly where he had expected her to be. She is cowering hidden behind the big oak tree, almost at the border of the college. She flinches as she sees him, about to flee, not letting him come any closer. She is younger than him, at least two classes his junior. More vulnerable than a brittle leaf under a shoe. To her, he means danger. Yet another venomous snake, just like Keykos. Daraiphios recalls the historic Venom Wars that were fought some forty years ago and feels the taste of disgust inside his mouth.
He fishes something out of his pocket. It is a little piece of jewelry. The Colubrid girl's eyes widen as she recognises it. It is made out of cheap plastic and probably comes from some vending machine. But to her, it means a lot.
"Here" he just says. "Your brooch that he stole from you. It is still undamaged. That piece of shit will never again boast with his venomous fangs and bully you."
She gasps in terror. Indecisively, she clings to the oak tree's bark, still hiding herself. As she looks up, there is an unsettling fear in her eyes.
"I've seen what you did", she whispers. And all of a sudden, he realises that the reason of her fear is him. This, as well as her words, dismay him more than he would have liked to admit. "He will take vengeance for this", she says tonelessly. "You just made it worse."
Before he can reply anything, she pushes herself away from the tree, fleeing from him.
He stays still. Looks at the brooch in his hand. Then, he lays it down near the oak. When he gets up again, he once more crosses the staring gaze of a fellow student.
"What", he snaps harshly. "Wanna piece o' me? Piss off, man!"
The other young snake hastily leaves. Only an idiot would dare to mess with Darai.

Daraiphios himself doesn't give a damn, neither about his bad reputation nor anything else. He leaves the schoolyard with gloomy thoughts.
~

A young Daraiphios, in the year dot.

story, character and writing (c)
&