Shantae : The Snake Dancer

What kind of sword was this?

Looking through her inventory, Shantae dearly hoped that she had something that could help her in this tenuous situation. Having gone through a long ordeal, vanquished multiple enemies and being a little exhausted from such a long trip, the last thing she expected to see get in her way was a gigantic wall, one that she had no way around or below. Normally, such a challenge would be easily overcome by using her talent of transformation, dancing into her monkey form to overcome this, yet the multiple spikes and vicious enemies clinging on the surface seemed to imply that this solution was unfortunately unavailable for her at this moment. Her equipment, as small as it was, didn't include any rope, or any items that could allow her to jump higher, or to protect herself against such elements, what she did find, however, was a completely useless sword that, last she recall, Bolo had crafted for her.

''This is the last time I let Bolo near a forge. I can't even attack with a sword so bizarrely-made...''

Inspecting it, it wasn't that the hilt was poorly made, nor that the blade was full of faults in its creation, but rather that the blade had not been inserted and solidified in the correct manner, thus rendering the weapon goofy and useless. Sighing as she prepared to return to Scuttle Town to look for proper tools and equipment, she observed a couple of vases near the humongous wall itself. Figuring that she could smash those to get some more gems to actually purchase what she needed, she proceeded to use her hair to whip them to pieces. With each of them adding to her riches, a singular one seemed too tough to break as its smaller, rounder and purple appearance made it look more fragile than the others, with the skull motif on its side contrasting greatly with that supposition. Curious about why her attack didn't shatter that vase like the others, the fact that it began to shake surprised Shantae as something came out of it at blinding speed, making the vase shake even further as a result until it finally stopped, a long serpentine form unleashed from what seemed like an endless void.

''Hey, what's the big idea here? Why are you trying to shatter my vase?''

With an indignant look on her face and a hand on her weirdly humanoid hips, the being that emerged from the vase, a snake-girl green of scales, with red hair that emerged in two pig-tails, looked at Shantae, easily towering over her due to the immense length of her tail, which was still connected to the vase itself. ''Seriously, don't break my magical vase, that's how I get around, miss break-a-lot...''

Astonished that one action that she had done so often in the past went on to give her something besides gems or healing items, Shantae was baffled by the definitely feminine woman, whose anatomy was of a snake, but with a body that suggested heavily womanly features, like wide hips, round breasts and a firm butt if the half-genie was not mistaken. Snapping back to reality, Shantae felt a little at lost as she looked with a small look of embarrassment at the snake-girl. ''Uh...I'm sorry. I thought that breaking this vase would give me some gems...''

''Oh, well that explains it then,'' the snake-girl said, her anger dissolving rather quickly as she inspected Shantae, curious about the one that had this violent streak against pottery. ''I've never understood why so many people stock their money in vases myself. I even sometimes receive some by accident, not that I mind of course. The name's Tuki, by the way. I'm what you might call a magical lamia and this vase, alongside many others like it, is my home. So don't try to break it anymore, okay?''

A little relieved that this Tuki seemed not to be prone to violent outbursts of anger and that she was reasonable enough, Shantae then went on to relax a little, no longer worried that she might have to defend herself against another enemy or vicious creature. ''Sorry again for the attack, Tuki. My name's Shantae and it's a pleasure to meet you.''

''So, how comes a lovely little dancer like you is around these parts, uh? That's a dangerous little area that you're in, you know,'' Tuki advised, looking Shantae over once more. ''And that sword seems pretty useless to me as far as I'm concerned...''

''I'm not some helpless woman, Tuki. I'm a half-genie guardian and I know how to fight and to defend myself,'' Shantae replied defensively, a little taken aback by how that lamia seemed to underestimate her. ''Besides, how did you even know I'm a dancer?''

''The hips, darling. They cannot lie,'' Tuki said with a wink, before herself swaying her hips a little. ''I'm a dancer too. One of the best there is, although my serpentine form certainly gives me an unfair advantage in that department.''

Looking at how svelte and fluid her moves were despite their simplicity, Shantae could almost believe that this Tuki might be the real deal when it came to belly-dancing, albeit a touch of pride inside her brushed that notion aside for the moment as she felt a little excited to meet another dancer in such a remote area. ''My mentors were genies, who taught me magical dances. Who trained you?''

''Ah, genie dances. I know a few of those, actually. They're the one that allow genies to change shape, right? Those are always fun,'' Tuki said,, confident and more than a little prideful as she went on to mimic the monkey dance in a perfect fashion, as if a genie herself had taught her the moves. ''I'm more of a trader, you see. Someone teaches me a dance and I teach them one, a fair arrangement most of the time. Say...Would you be interested in a trade of some kind?''

Figuring that this might be worth it, there was a chance that this Tuki knew a dance that she had either forgotten due to extreme lack of practice, or one that she had never known. Perhaps even she knew one that would make it possible for her to get over this obstacle in her way. ''All right, how do you propose we do this, then? Shall I begin and teach you a dance and then you'll teach me one, or maybe we can see what might interest the other?''

''Let's go for a more chaotic approach, I say. I'll begin~'' Tuki said, really getting into it as she lifted her arms in the air slightly, before then swinging her hips in a fashion that, at first glance, was much alike what she did a few moments ago, yet there was a key difference that Shantae was barely able to notice. There was some unique form of energy that radiated along Tuki's green scales, making her moves seems a little more radiant, a little more captivating to the trained eyes. ''Good. Just look at my moves and study them, little half-genie woman. Make sure you keep visual contact~''

The way the lamia moved was uncanny, as her hips went on to sway in a wide arc, stopping not because they had reached their limit, but because of a particularly devious and subtle pendulum effect that was magnified by the rampant and near-invisible energy emerging from the scales. With Shantae being slightly amazed by the talent on display, a certain desire not only to learn, but just to watch, was rising within her mind, too captivated by the beauty on display. Each little motions imprinting themselves in the deepest recesses of her thoughts, she felt mesmerized, caught in an allure that seemed to be out of this world as the lamia merely kept on going, focused on her performance.

''So good of you to stay silent and to analyze deeply every moves, darling. Just listen, watch and follow along my hips along with my words. You can do that for me, certainly?'' Tuki said, half-encouraging and half-teasing, a little triumphant smile appearing on her serpentine face as she sent waves on her stomach before then going on to turn around, sending waves with her tail to accentuate her butt in a flattering fashion. ''Have you memorized the moves yet?''

It was impossible to keep up, as far as Shantae was concerned, as she was caught between an admirer's trance and a professional analysis, with neither coming on top of the other in terms of importance. While her dancer experience told her that this was magnificent and that it would pay well to understand everything to its very core, the admirer in her merely wanted to let her thoughts get astray and to bask in the beauty, for this to never end. Unbeknownst to her, spirals began forming in her eyes as the subtle, yet powerful hypnosis that Tuki emanated and strengthened with her performance finally pierced through the passive defenses within the half-genie's mind. ''I...I...''

''Very well then. I suppose I should continue this and do some more to make sure you get it. You'll owe me for this, though~'' Tuki pleasantly said, enjoying this little moment greatly. Taking this as a little revenge for the way she was introduced to this half-genie girl, there was also a sense of pleasure that made this little situation a true joy for her as a dancer. Too many were afraid or unaware of her to properly interact with her, with dancers being much less numerous as far as her encounters were to be described. Part vengeance, part pleasure, part teaching and a little something else as well that she could not describe, this hypnotic experience was something that she wanted to prolong as much as possible. '' Describe to me how you're feeling, dear~''

Dazed and slightly confused, yet in a manner that brought a weird peace to her whole body, Shantae began to wobble a little on her feet, her own head and body trying to replicate Tuki's moves on its own. Without thinking about it, she went on to replicate the lamia's move pretty well, despite the advantage the unusual dancer had over her as her lithe movements and her capacity to quickly understand any dance moves made Shantae a little prodigy under the sharp focus of her hypnotic trance. Bombarded by various feelings and by what she felt she needed to do as well as what she knew she simply had to achieve, Shantae could only mumble as none of her words reached Tuki's ears.

''Come closer and say how you feel to me. Sit on my body and let me lull you into a much more relaxing position, half-genie girl,'' Tuki suggested, slowing down the waves of her tail considerably in order for Shantae to follow this subtle command of hers. Her own hips and butt still being quite active, her unique anatomy allowed her to keep this hypnotic effect and unseemly performance as she motioned for Shantae to follow along with the single move of a finger.

Her trance getting stronger and her mouth slightly open, Shantae obeyed as she took advantage of the slow pacing of Tuki's tail to sit comfortably on the lamia. The waves crashing down slowly on her lower body, the half-genie could not believe just how good, how personal a dance could be, as she drank from Tuki's form, the dancer's part of her done with memorizing the moves as only the admirer in her was left within her mindset. Still too dazed to answer, she whispered through an intense effort, if only to try and play it Tuki's way, oblivious to the fact that her trance was making her much more suggestible and much more concerned about pleasing the lamia. ''I am...awed, impressed...I felt that you might...be a little too confident...in your skills...But I see now...that you might be...the best dancer in all of...Sequin Land...''

''Such a flatterer~'' Tuki said with a wink, allowing for Shantae to drink more of this fluid performance before letting her go from her seated position, doing so with a quick motions of her hips and faster waves on her tail. ''I trust you've learned the dance by now. Now, teach me yours, darling~''

Her eyes still caught on Tuki's body despite the lamia's dance slowly dying down, the moves were all still set in her head as the phantom of that performance haunted her thoughts. Still, she had to teach her something as part of their agreement as she opted for the elephant dance, one that she had learned much later. Bring her hands together before her chest, she then jerked her hips from side to side, as her long ponytail swished along those rough movements, the strengths on showcase being crucial for the toughness of that large animal to go through her.

At first a little unimpressed by such amateurish moves, Tuki began to change her appreciation as she could feel magic converging toward Shantae's position, adding to the nature and concept behind this routine. Noticing that behind those twirls and those hip bumps were a dedication and a tenacity that was essential to the dance, Tuki understood the audacity as she went from slightly disappointed to pleasantly surprised, as the lithe and sumptuous form of the half-genie was very good at conveying passion and skills through such an act as this rough dancing. ''Hmmmm, very good. I can see you have talents~''

Wanting to thank her on the spot, her professional attitude kept Shantae from ceasing her motions, even though those words of praise meant the world to her after witnessing the true talent of the lamia dancer. Her trance helping her focus greatly, Shantae went on to to transform into her elephant form, her eyes still spiraling despite her much larger shape.

''Bravo. Now, since you owe me a little favor, here's what I want you to do: forget this dance you've just shown me. I just want you to replace that dance with the one I've taught you. That does seem fair to you, doesn't it?'' Tuki said, getting much closer to Shantae's elephant ears, whispering sweetly in them as her tail brushed against the half-genie's trump.

Normally, such a deal would sound ridiculous to one as experienced as Shantae, yet the hypnotic hold Tuki had on her, combined with the careful preparation and wording, made it impossible for her to refuse as the motions that allowed her to transform into such a shape were erased, replaced by this dance with unknown effects. The trade effectively complete, Shantae now only had to truly test this dance to see just what it could do.

Chuckling lightly, Tuki then continued to whisper honeyed words in Shantae's ears, caught up in her own game and in the mood that she had unwittingly created with her devious attitude. ''You're a great dancer, Shantae. I want to make more trades with you and, in my own way, I'm quite sure you want to trade some more with me too. Whenever you see a vase like this one in your adventures, give it a little knock...And we'll go through this all over again,'' Tuki promised, giving the transformed Shantae a little kiss on her now massive cheek. ''You won't mind this arrangement of you forgetting a dance each time, so long as it allows for us to continue this trading arrangement and you'll actually be looking forward to seeing me again. I know I'll be eager to...''

Finishing her sentence, Tuki then snapped her fingers, before then going back into her vase with a smile on her face. Hungry, she still had to take care of some other business, yet she was already excited for the next trade with the half-genie girl.

Shantae, changing back to her original form, felt a little dizzy, yet overall happy about the whole thing. Unaware about just how this had happened, she had forgotten the elephant dance, the moves being blurry within her memory, yet she now knew a whole new dance. Unable to properly thank Tuki for this exchange of technique, she tried this new dance of her as hips swaying made way for belly bumps and navel bobbing, as Shantae changed her shape again, only this time in an arachnid form. Seeing that there was perhaps a way with which to climb up this obstacle thanks to the natural abilities of spiders, she smiled lightly as she went her way up the wall that had blocked her a few moments ago. Pleased that she had made a new friend and ally, Shantae dearly hoped to see Tuki again, to thank her as well as perhaps trade some more moves with her.

Unbeknownst to the half-genie, she'd be doing this a lot, each time with a smile on both her and Tuki's face.