Surprisingly Quaint

"Wait while I fetch us some tea, darlings." The Naga dropped Alice and Nadia into a pair of ramshackle wooden chairs. She began to hum to herself as she slithered through a curtain and into an adjacent room, leaving the two women alone in the dining room. There was a huge stone slab in the middle of the room serving as a table, and the chairs around it weren't more than rocks with tree branches strapped to them. Aside from that, the only other furniture in the room was a tall pot holding a wilting flower in the corner of the room.

The prodigiously empty room didn't help the two naked ladies who were already shivering from being in a cold, damp cave. They crossed their legs on their chairs and rubbed their shoulders to try and maintain a little bit of warmth. "What's happening?" Alice whispered.

"You think I know?" Nadia replied, her eyes darting around the room. "Let's just thank our lucky stars it didn't eat us. Maybe we can find a way out whil-"

"Tea's ready!" The snake woman slunk back through the curtains, holding a wooden tray made from a tree stump and a couple of normal-looking cups. "I don't get guests often, so I got out the good stuff." She placed cups in front of the two ladies, steam gently wafting out of each one. Alice and Nadia looked at each other for a moment, understandingly hesitant to drink their host's concoction, before a slight breeze made both of their nude bodies shiver.

Nadia gingerly picked up her teacup. At the very least, whatever this was would be warm. Besides, she didn't want to take any chances and upset the snake woman, whose tail was already curling around her chair leg in anticipation. She delicately placed the cup to her lips and took a sip. Surprisingly, the tea was quite sweet, leaving a slight tingle on her tongue. It felt like a spark was travelling down her throat, but without the sharp, painful jolt that comes with an electric shock. She let a happy mmmmm escape her lips.

Seeing that Nadia wasn't dead, Alice took a sip herself, and immediately the tension in her body faded. It was almost enough to make her forget her nudity; even the cold of the room was pushed from her mind. "That's delicious." She looked up to the snake woman, and despite herself, said, "Thank you."

"Oh, stop." The Naga blushed and waved away the compliment. "It's just a simple blend of herbs and spring water with a hint of honey. I pieced the recipe together from other humans who've passed by before, so I figured you'd like it."

Nadia finished her sip and eyed their host. The mention of "other humans" was too important to let pass. "Do you know where those humans might be?"

The Naga stared at her quizzically. "I figured you would know that? Do you mean you didn't come from a nearby town or hamlet?"

"Uh, well..." Nadia wasn't sure how to explain. She didn't know how they'd gotten here or where "here" even was. It was possible this lady wouldn't even know what she was talking about if she tried to explain.

"Then again," The Naga took a closer look. "The other humans I see come through here usually have things with them. And... clothes, now that I think of it." Alice shifted in her seat at the reminder while the Naga kept talking. "You're clearly different from other humans."

Nadia shivered. Did she mean that in a bad way? What did people around here do to "different" people?

The Naga snapped her fingers, jolting both women out of their chairs. "Oh, I get it. I know where you two came from."