Juliet was deeply in the middle of a fifth re-reading of Twelfth Night, her mind instantaneously picking out tropes and her lips silently forming her favorite lines. Love sought is good, but giv'n unsought is better... She had been doing her best to forget the past events of her and Nathaniel's first date. At least they'd gotten her hand out of the bowling ball; but she had so wanted things to go perfectly! Diving into her books helped to stave off the over-analyzation of what had gone wrong, especially when there seemed to be no logical explanation. Both of their hands had been so...so strange!
Curled up on her couch, the dark haired woman didn't notice the large, six foot snake that had knocked loose a ventilation vent and was slowly inching its way into the room. A forked tongue flicked into the air, potentially tasting her scent and thus driving the animal toward her. It might have simply been lonely, looking for companionship, but the moment it moved over the couch and slithered onto Juliet's shoulder, she lost all composure and screamed as loudly as her lungs could manage.
Immediately, she thrust herself away from the serpent, dropping her play to the floor before falling there herself, sliding backward on the cold, wooden ground until her back came up against one of her numerous bookcases that lined her apartment.