19th April, 1895 — Nott Collection Open House

Callista had supposedly come for society reasons, because she needed to advertise that she was still on the market for marriage, and very available, whatever offers she had turned down – but her brother had long since gone on ahead for refreshments in the patio without her, because she had already spent much too long browsing one of the other wood-panelled rooms, which was presently filled with rare plant specimens that had threatened to bore him to death.

Not that she minded his absence. It was better to have no distractions, and she had been unconscious of anyone else in the room, appropriately unobtrusive as they had been: she had peered through a selection of botanical sketches as long as some people be able to consider fashion plates or masterpieces of artwork, and had finally moved on to examining what looked to be a very ugly tropical weed, preserved alive in a temperate glass case.

She was just trying to decide what the orangeish pustules decorating its leaves might be – perhaps a poisonous defence from predators? – when she felt a strange sensation at her ankle. Callista tried to move it, but it seemed oddly weighted down; she folded her skirts a little better out of the way, to try and see underneath her dress, and – ah. It seemed the taxidermied snake on the windowsill behind her had not, in fact, been taxidermied and displayed at all – it had been sunning itself of its own accord, and had now slithered down the wall and around her leg.

She was not afraid of snakes, by and large: but she could not see it well enough under her skirts as one she confidently recognised as native to Cambridgeshire or Nigeria, so who knew what it might be inclined to; it already seemed a little unhappy at the intrusion of its room, because it was winding its body more tightly around her other ankle now too, and emitting a faint hiss. “Excuse me,” Callista said carefully, once she had stood stock still for a patient three minutes, to no avail, and finally given in to making eye contact with the other current occupant in the room in a plea for help. (She might be able to prise the snake off her herself, but – it felt rather large, and it might be safer to have an extra pair of hands, just in case it was venomous as well as unwieldly. If the extra pair of hands were willing, that was. “Would you – spare a moment to assist me?”

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Perseus had been idly exploring the collective exhibition, finding it all very fascinating. He meandered into one of the other rooms and was reading the information provided so he had fully noticed the young woman (aside from the fact she was in the room) and her current plight. At least not until she spoke.

All in all, he had to commend her calm demeanor in the face of having a snake winding around her ankles. Most women he knew probably would have fainted by now or screamed. Or attacked it if they were the bolder type. Now was not the time for being amused or impressed though.

"Certainly... Miss.. Adebayo, was it?" He had attended a tea or two the young womans grandmother had hosted so recognized her from that. He moved closer and as gently as he could got part of the snake to loosen its hold on her ankles. Hopefully enough that she could step away from the snake. He had to assume the people holding this exhibit would not let the snake roam like this if it were very dangerous. "Are you able to step away now?" He asked once he thought he had gotten enough space for her to.

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Mr. Flint was – probably not the worst person in the world to be of assistance here, Callista supposed. She knew his credits more as an eligible bachelor than in his career, but he was certainly a healer – and thus hopefully calm, effective, and discreet?

“It is,” Callista agreed, a little strained; she had been spending more energy staying still so as not to vex the snake’s movements and less on breathing properly, so she felt a little out of breath as she spoke. Fortunately, he did not seem daunted by the sizeable snake at her legs, and approached it at once. Callista, for her part, might have been more daunted by the fact that he was now bent down about her ankles, head angled beneath her skirts. She had been hitching them up slightly to help, but when she suggested she step out with her freed foot, she didn’t know that she had enough balance to remain one-legged, so she sucked in a breath and placed a hand on his shoulder. “May I?” She asked – unnecessarily – as she tried to hop over its body and also avoid tripping on his arms holding back the snake.

The snake seemed aware something was happening, because as she got one foot out, she felt it wrap itself more insistently against her other leg.

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Perseus had seen larger snakes - one of his close friends had a sizeable vivarium. Even so, that was quite different to handling one personally. He nodded when she asked for permission to place a hand on his shoulder. The fact that this felt altogether quite intimate was not lost on him. However, he saw no other way to safely intricate the snake without harming either woman or serpent. Or himself.

He frowned a bit as the snake tightened against her other leg. "I had hoped to avoid it but I am going to need to cast a spell or two." He took out his wand and tapped the snake, performing a non-verbal and harmless freezing spell. He loosened the snake manually, hoping the women would not be offended by his knuckles brushing against her ankles. It couldn't really be helped at the moment.

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Callista had no view of what he was doing – and he had cast the spell silently, if he had cast one at all – but she could feel it well enough, the shifting of his shoulder underneath her palm, the gentle touch of his hands against her ankles, and finally nothing tangled around the ankle in question.

Callista lifted her foot slightly to test it, and as she stepped gingerly away she was aware she had been holding her breath the whole time. “Is it alright?” She asked, peering over from her now-safe distance, and worried about how still the snake was. Frozen, perhaps? Hopefully not harmed. “I didn’t want to agitate it, in its own home,” she admitted softly, abruptly too preoccupied by making sure the snake was back to itself to thank Mr. Flint for his assistance yet.

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The young woman was finally able to escape the snakes clutches. He smiled at her concern over the snake she had likely been afraid of just moments ago. "It is perfectly fine. I will move it a little further into its home and cast a Finite spell," he assured as he moved it further into the room than they had been occupying. He undid his spell and the snake slithered off in the opposite direction.

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