Shantae: The Snake Exit

Everything was fine in Sequin Land.

It was a very rare thing to say, to witness as Shantae realized that it had been quite a while since the last serious problem she had to solve. Some monsters here, some little accident here and there but otherwise there wasn't much of anything that seriously needed her unique kind of help. Of course, she had been fired and re-hired each time because the mayor was always like this, but she was content with a more carefree style of life for the time being, focusing on her secondary job after being a guardian half-genie to Scuttle Town: being a belly dancer.

Lessons with her serpentine teacher were going well, Tuki being especially talented and knowledgeable when it came not only to dancing, but the magical kind which only genies or those related could truly unleash. Their relationship was fun, but also a touch mischievous as there were ever things that Tuki didn't quite seem to tell to her best student, with her opening up lessons for Bolo, Sky and Rottytops as well. There even was this new person, Kirsy Toobs, who was pretty sharp too in the dancing department and with whom Shantae practiced often. In terms of adventure and excitement it was a little dull, but for dancing it was especially fruitful. She had, however, something of importance to say to her teacher as she got back to her home for her daily lessons, striking her hair gently against the pot to summon or possibly wake up Tuki.

It didn't do much at first, the friendly yet teasing snake woman usually more prompt than this when called. It made Shantae worry a little, yet eventually a familiar hiss escaped from the pot's opening and out emerged that familiar red hair in twin pigtails, that little smile along with her forked tongue, those piercing eyes and her slick body, along with that thick tail which was apparently endless as Shantae had never seen the tip of her tail, not even once. Making a grand little entrance out of it, she slithered out and covered some ground before darting toward Shantae, a malicious yet playful glimmer in her eyes. "My my...if this isn't my favorite student? Have you practiced enough? Did you try some of those moves you learned on the stage again?" Tuki asked, ever curious and invested by nature as by now Shantae knew that no matter how cunning or sly she appeared to be she was rather a softie at heart. "I bet you must have awed your audience once more...a charming girl like you..."

"Hi Tuki. I didn't wake you up, did I?" Shantae asked, never quite sure what Tuki did in her spare time. She was a merchant, yet she never quite saw her deal with anyone else beside her. Tuki wasn't like Bolo, Skye or Rotty in the sense that she knew basically what they'd do or what their pastimes were, unlike Tuki. She liked to dance, she sold stuff...but what else? However, this was not the time for this as their lesson would start as Shantae took a step forward and gave a knowing glance toward her teacher to be allowed entry...yet Tuki did not move. "Oh...Could you please let me in? I think this lesson today will be particularly interesting and important and-"

"No, it will not. Shantae, you've got a good heart and a terrific personality, but you're an absolutely terrible liar...You've noticed it too, yes?" Tuki said, savvy as she crossed her arms and bent forward, slightly invading Shantae's personal space in doing so. Her tail still got out, filling some of the space reserved for such a deed, yet it was ceaseless as Tuki was quickly occupying more than the usual perimeter reserved for her. "You have nothing left to learn from me and it's been that way for perhaps...I'd say three weeks? You've caught on to every lessons I gave you, mastered more moves and even created new ones just before my eyes...You're amazing...But I think it's time for you to seek different teachers and experiences, my dear."

Shantae had indeed felt like they were stalling a little, the lessons getting slightly repetitive and even Bolo, Skye and Rotty had ceased to come. Even Krisy had mysteriously disappeared somehow, not seen for about two weeks now to the detriment of Bolo who had finally managed to get a girlfriend. "B-but...Can't we have one more, please? It's just that..." Shantae struggled to say, never quite comfortable demanding things when she could just get them in one way or another. She disliked feeling helpless and in this case it seemed like she was struck at point-blank range by a cannonball. "I'm going to a festival on some remote island, one for half-genies and I want my dancing to be at its peak when I show off there."

"Shantae, you're already stellar and it's precisely because of that festival that I think I'm done as your teacher," Tuki revealed, moving away from Shantae to look at the window in an almost nostalgic way, a calmer and more mellow attitude on display for the serpentine dancer, which was very rare to witness. "No, I feel like this little dream we had together would have to stop eventually, for I'm not one to stay in place too long. It's already a miracle that I've had the passion and patience to stay put, but you've been more than worth it in truth."

"I don't understand...What will happen exactly? What are you talking about?" Shantae said, trying to keep herself calm yet Tuki had been such a fixture of her daily life that to see her go was more of a shock than she ever believed it could be. That festival would last a few days at best and she'd be gone for perhaps a week, ten days maximum. She only wished for the lessons to be put on hold, yet now they were over? Just like that? It made no sense. "Could you please explain all of this to me?"

"Of course. I wouldn't dare leave you in the dark, not after the magnificent moments we spent together, my half-genie student," Tuki said, turning around with a wink as she returned inside her pot in a manner which was so swift it seemed almost as if the recipient had gobbled her up. "But first you'll have to come inside~"

That playful behavior was more like it, though Shantae felt like she was on the cusp of a great discovery as she heard Tuki's voice echo inside the pot. She jumped inside it, accustomed to how it felt to transport herself inside the snake's dimension and then she was transported inside the void-like area, one covered in so many pots that trying to count them would seem simply futile. She looked around, yet Tuki was nowhere to be seen, again going down a tricky approach to what should be a rather heartfelt moment. This was a little irritating to Shantae, yet a hissing sound got her attention as many pots went on to move out of the way in order to leave exactly one for Shantae to see as it stayed immobile. Intrigued, she got closer to it as Tuki got out of it, acting normally for a change as she placed one hand on her rather wide hip. "Why are you doing all of this? You like to show off and to tease...but this is different somehow."

"Of course, a performer must ever keep their audience on the tip of their toes, on edge, to always surprise. But you know that of course," Tuki said with a little wink, swaying her hips to illustrate her point as she created a pattern then broke it with a single hip drop. "I'm here to talk to you about a couple of secrets that I've been keeping from you actually, things that I have to share in order to come clean, if you will."

This felt different than their regular banter as they would talk shop with dancing moves, how to stay nimble and flexible or even about new dance magic which they could develop. Tuki having secrets did not exactly strike Shantae as odd, though, as there was a great many things that were left unexplained when it came to the saleswoman and her abilities. Her pot, her knowledge of genie dances, where she came from...all mysteries. It was a solemn and rather heavy moment, but Shantae couldn't help but feel immensely curious about it all the same. "I'm all ears, Tuki. What do you need to get off your chest?"

"First, a little mea culpa as I hypnotized your friends into taking lessons alongside you. I presume you kinda knew, but it was perhaps a little wrong of me to do so. I was rather invested and I wanted you to be as well, so I kinda convinced them with my powers of persuasion and my...let us say unique charisma...to join your lessons," Tuki admitted, a little hiss escaping her lips as she looked away, looking slightly ashamed but all the same not crushed by this as well. "Besides, even while I helped them with my unique methods, with my hypnosis, they weren't really into it. You can't really go against the grain, as they say. Rotty couldn't focus to save her life...I blame her zombie brain for this...Bolo kept understanding things wrong as he learned flamenco moves...ballet postures...break-dancing even, but baladi seems out of his reach sadly enough...And Skye was just cold and methodical. There was no soul to her motions, however precise they were...So I snapped them out of it and let them go."

It was indeed very strange for that trio to go with lessons, but Shantae thought that perhaps they wanted to get closer to her in some way, which was nice. Perhaps even without hypnosis they might have agreed too, but then again it was indeed wrong to go ahead and do that to them. "I see..." Shantae simply retorted, a little taken aback and not entirely certain on how to react to this information. "What about Krisy? Was she hypnotized too?"

"Yes...but this one is a very different case. I dealt with her for you, to help you out," Tuki revealed, her guilt gone when it came to that specific person as she looked at Shantae straight in the eye again, not feeling any remorse for her actions. "It actually helped that person quite a bit, but in the end her rebellious spirit was more than what my hypnosis could handle and she reverted back to her old habits and persona...Such a shame as she seemed happy for a while."

"I...I don't follow," Shantae admitted, a key piece of information missing from all that reveal and explanation as she looked at Tuki with a puzzled look on her face. "Who was Krisy exactly?"

"Krisy Toobs..." Tuki said, a little incredulous as she hissed before a little chuckle escaped from her lips. "Just rearrange the letters and you'll understand quickly enough. She wasn't exactly subtle when I told her to get a new name for that new start I gave her."

"Krisy...Toobs..." Shantae said, whispering it as she tried to solve this enigma. There was a K... Then a Y...The letter S...And then it dawned on her. Krisy Toobs was an anagram for Risky Boots. Krisy had been the Queen of the Seven Seas from the start! "What? You mean Krisy was my nemesis all along?"

"Yes. She actually admitted when I imprisoned her that she was somewhat fixated on your for reasons of jealousy, of self-hatred and such things and while I was willing to simply remain here, I gave her a second chance while putting her under, carefully reconstructing who she thought she wanted to be deep inside," Tuki explained, this time feeling a little let down as her voice had no real energy to it, only a faint sorrow which was barely perceptible. "Everything was fine for a while, but like I said you can't just suggest and persuade away what people really are deep inside and what Risky does have inside is rage, rebellion and greed...So eventually she returned to her old self and fled. Simple as that. I wanted to keep her that way to help you out and make you focus on dancing, to spend a little more time with you basically."

Another cannonball strike as Shantae felt conflicted about this too. Risky was indeed a loose cannon, a one-time ally who did help her against the Pirate Master, but she was also destructive and vain too. She always hoped to make her see the light someday, to conclude their feud once and for all and without being aware of it that actually happened. She had lessons with her, performed on the same stage and spent some quality moments as friends...This was what she wanted and yet Tuki had given it to her without so much as a reveal on the matter until now. Was it ethically correct? Was it actually something which made everything better? The laughs and the joys they shared together seemed quite genuine as did the energy that Risky had when it came to dancing and as Tuki said those couldn't be faked even while under. It was just rather sad, but perhaps it might just be a key factor as to turning Risky toward a better path someday. However, a very simple question entailing many more complex ones bloomed within Shantae's mind. "Why?" she asked, looking directly at Tuki, not sure if she wanted to be comforted, to confront her or to simply be given a rational and objective explanation right now. "Why did you hypnotize them all? Why did you want to teach me dances and magic so much? Why do all of this?"

"Shantae..." Tuki said, seeing that her student was upset, which she had every rights to be right now, yet Shantae was not quite done as she preferred to stay silent for now.

"I don't know anything about you and you know so much about me. Why did you take such an interest to me?" Shantae asked, her barrage of questions not stopping as if this was their last lesson, then she'd get some answers, her shyness be damned. "What were you trying to accomplish? Just who are you, Tuki?"

"Actions are worth more than words, so let me show you just what I am right here and now, my most precious and beloved student," Tuki said in a tone which she didn't use all that often: calm, soothing and gentle. The sly, slightly teasing and manipulative tone and approach had dissipated somehow as music could be heard coming from the pots, an unified melody which indicated the start of a performance as Tuki gave a little wink toward Shantae. "Just watch closely and everything will be made clear, okay?"

And then Tuki's hips began to sway and the option to look away was taken from Shantae. There ever was a mesmerizing quality to Tuki's motions, a hypnotic power which made it easy to study and imprint all the complexities and mannerism on display, yet now it seemed to have been utterly magnified, made far more potent than usual. One sway and everything was a blur save Tuki. Another one and the music grew a little louder while Shantae's eye zoomed-in on the sumptuous display in front of her. Hip-swaying was the most basic maneuver of them all, a building block for more intricate and interesting moves to work with and yet Tuki made hers seem simply fascinating. Shantae had been hypnotized prior, aware of it and just basking in the peace and relaxation, in the trust she had in Tuki, but now it was so powerful and deep in its appeal that she herself seemed to vanish within those sways as those large hips swung and made all worries, all stress simply disappear into thin mist...Until Shantae realized that there was indeed some light smoke erupting from the pot which Tuki emerged from.

The smoke circled around the serpentine dancer, going on to twirl as it got higher and higher, yet it never so much as touched Tuki as those sways turned into hip circles, rotation upon rotation which seemed to guide the smoke in its maneuver. That gaseous little snake-like apparition was linked with Tuki's motions, a puppet of transparent yet colorful appearance manipulated by those hips and that waistline as Tuki highlighted her belly with a soft brushing of her hand on her underbelly scales before she lifted one arm up slowly from her navel up to above her head, switching her moves to shimmies for a few seconds before she went in the opposite direction for her hip circles. The way it spun around and around reeled Shantae's gaze in, as if her focus was a fish that took the bait of that superb and skillful performance. She could only see Tuki, not feeling anything save for a tremor within her mind and pulsations of magic which seemed to erupt from Tuki herself. Something seemed to be changing, yet it was hard to focus on everything at once as Shantae was slack, relaxed, absolutely entranced by what she saw and felt.

The first noticeable thing were the disappearance of whatever kept those pigtails up as Tuki's hair cascaded down, resulting in a luxurious mane of red hair which seemed silky and smooth, something which she noticed as that hand went as high as possible, then her thumb and her ring finger came in contact with one another. Her other hand went low to her navel area as her hips went on to bump and then go for figure-eights, the tempo changing. For each little variants those hips seemed to pop out even further, getting wider as her waistline grew thinner and rounder all the same, creating an hourglass figure which seemed impossible, yet utterly appealing to the eye as other hand brushed her midriff as her hips went for mayas, vertical figure-eights and a belly ring appeared out of nowhere inside her navel, a little golden bead which only accentuated those curves all the more. Then, her lower hand rose up and stopped in a tense position just between her breasts as she shimmied her shoulders and did figure-eight motions with her chest as well, resulting in her torso getting slightly bigger. Those orbs she sported enlarged in ways that felt simply absurd, yet their expansion were stopped by a shimmering top which covered part of them, making them look as if they were just about to spill out. She then shimmied her hips furthermore, making ripples appear on her lower appendage as a golden metallic belt adorned her hips, a silk loincloth appearing at crotch level as the shining and sparkling deep crimson fabric flowed out in the air, giving even more prestige to this delightful number.

Her tail, however, was part of this as it seemed to be moving with the fluidity of water as if it were no longer solid anymore. It undulated, belly rolls manifesting themselves on her abdomen and rising toward her chest, yet then descending toward her tail as the light green scales and beige under belly seemed to miss some spots. The pot in which she was bound to began to diminish somehow, confining that thick appendage and yet not restraining her motions in any ways as any solid matter below her large hips and waist began to appear floaty, almost cloudy in a way. Holes and expansions began to manifest themselves, resulting in a pot which continued to get smaller and smaller while other things appeared on its purple surface: a handle and a spout. It was a familiar shape as eventually the tail itself turned into thick smoke colored just like Tuki's scales. With Shantae being utterly transfixed, hypnotized to observe nothing else but Tuki in absolute silence and awe, this was a brilliant spectacle and a revelation as she felt herself soar into what Tuki displayed so eloquently yet without words. Shimmies and bumps went on to be portrayed with a sensuality and power that could not be translated with mere words and thoughts, going for the apex of what baladi could be in one interpretation. She seemed to be going at dozens of different paces altogether, images superseding over each other, creating wonky visual effects which made it so hard to concentrate. Whatever Tuki had done prior in terms of hypnosis and dancing paled when compared to this and Shantae felt herself becoming utterly lost until...

SNAP!

Tuki stopped her dance and snapped her fingers, causing for Shantae's spirit to gather itself back in one piece. Her mind returning gradually, she remembered every single details and the conclusion was simple, completely clear even. Tuki was not just a lamia, a saleswoman, an excellent dancer, a woman of dubious morality or a very apt teacher. She was a genie, a real one. That power, that attire, the lamp which her tail emerged from, her smoke disposition...She was a mixture between serpent-woman and djinn, a being of power and magnificence. It explained her powers, how come she knew magic dances of both arcane and transforming qualities. The pot was merely a manifestation of her receptacle, something in her control and it explained a lot...but not everything. As Shantae regained consciousness of her body, of her muscles, she realized that she had fallen on her knees without being aware of it as she got back up. Helped by Tuki who was just next to her now, she stared at the different yet still rather-the-same snake-genie and she gave herself a few more seconds to gather her wits before speaking up. "So you're a genie...How did you come here...Why did you take an interest in me?"

"So many questions still...But I'll happily oblige~" Tuki said, returning to her usual behavior though the radiance she possessed made it so easy to just listen, to focus on her. "We're very proud of you in the Genie Realm and we felt that we ought to help you out every now and then. You forget dances, spells and yet you always manage to come out on top when it comes to saving us, defeating evil and being a generally very kind soul...Even if you are perhaps a little too naive at times."

This sounded like a barb as Shantae knew very well what she meant as she had been fooled by Risky Boots too many times to count, including once where Risky wasn't technically trying to hide at this point with this whole "Krisy" affair. "Yeah...I think I see your point."

"Oh, but do not see this as an insult or a reproach. Your capacity to ever hope for something better and brighter is an inspiration, not a weakness...But anyway...We wanted to help you out and with my...unique position as both a lamia and genie I could teach you and follow you for a time and so I did," Tuki went on to explain, moving the pots closer in one swift motion with the use of her powers. "Those pots I placed just about everywhere with the sole reason so that you'd notice them, try to shatter them for some gems, so that I could find you...The rest was just trying to give you some peace and quiet as well as some training...And you learned a lot, did you not?"

Shantae couldn't deny this in any way. Her dancing had reached a whole new level with the help of Tuki and her hypnotic power. That unique way to focus, to let her mind repel everything else beside lessons for a short amount of time had indeed been quite beneficial and this had made her feel a certain connection to her teacher, the snake in the shadow who helped her out so well. "Yes, I did," Shantae said, not denying this in any fashion but instead basking in this achievement despite some of the revelations of a less savory nature she had learned prior to this. It was a complex situation, yet some good most definitely came out of this. "Thank you."

"No, it's me who should thank you for giving me such an opportunity. I look forward to your future accomplishments and adventures, my half-genie hero," Tuki said, doing a little curtsy out of respect as she snapped her fingers and her pots vanished one by one in puffs of smoke, leaving eventually only Shantae and her in this white space. "But now, as I said, I have nothing more to teach you...Or rather I do not want to limit yourself to my own ways of dancing but rather for you to discover your own style yourself, to widen your horizons...and that little getaway to the Half-Genie festival might just be what you need."

"I see...But what will you do now? What's next for you after all of that?" Shantae asked, indeed being rather curious as she had still many questions, but the ambient magic energy and the fading pots gave her a sense of urgency, as if this might be over soon. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Oh, I'll travel. I have ways of moving from one place to the next, as you see. I want to see more dances, more performers and perhaps widen my horizons as well," Tuki said, chuckling as she knew full well that Shantae had more questions, yet she had made promises to a great many number of other genies to not trouble Shantae with answers that they'd rather reveal themselves. It was a touch selfish as the half-genie had more than earned the right to know, but it was not her place to give Shantae everything. "As for when we'll see each other again...Who knows? But what I'm certain of is that I'll work hard on making it happen."

A white void, Tuki returning inside her lamp and a rush of colors were what Shantae saw next just after Tuki winked at her. She wanted to know what might happen next, where her mother was, if she'd ever see her once in her life...but all those questions would be left unanswered for the moment. Tuki had vanished, the pot too and now Shantae woke up on a boat. The sound of waves crashing against a hull, of seagulls squawking and the sea air brought her back to reality as she was on a boat now, going toward a new vista, an island where she had never been. She knew in her heart that this was where Tuki left her, on the brink of her new adventure as she'd meet other half-genies and perhaps even get those answers on her own. She rose up, breathed in and got herself ready for another session of discoveries and mayhem as she knew deep down that this visit would be anything but simple and peaceful. She was too self-aware and savvy to not be ready for danger to dance her way through. That she wasn't prepared for.

She looked back at the horizon to where her friends were, toward Sequin Land and Scuttle Town and she couldn't help but still think of Tuki. She had been manipulative, passionate, invested, kind, teasing, playful, an enigma even in the end. A merchant, a teacher, a genie even...but more importantly a friend. No matter what had been done and said, she knew deep down that the lamia-genie had been her ally and she couldn't wait to find out if she'd ever see her again. She looked back at the island and she felt herself anticipating what would come next, be it new dances, danger and moments of pure happiness.

She was ret-2-go.