Sean looked into the yellowed eyes, and tried very hard not to release his bowels. He broke into a crooked smile, his head forced askew as his voice trembled over every syllable.
"Oh, c-c-come on, you don't want me! I'm all bones and skin! It'd be like snapping into a pretzel!"
The lamia tilted her head, and lapped her tongue against his cheek. Her coil tightened around his waist, his arms tired from the struggle. As Sean swallowed and stared up at the snake-girl, he thought he heard her laugh. Then she spoke in a husky voice that echoed against the rock walls of the cave.
"Oh, well then, that's perfect. I happen to rather enjoy pretzels." she said. The tip of her tail teased against his cheek, and she tightened once more around him. Sean gasped, his lungs compressed but begging for even a pocket of air. The snake laughed as Sean's face turned from red to purple, and as his cheeks began to tinge blue, he uttered two final words:
"A game!"
The lamia blinked, and slackened her coils just so. Yet, still not enough to give Sean his arms, much less any sense of mobility. But it was enough to breathe, and Sean relished in it with the brief reprieve it gave him. His lungs filled with giant gulps of air, expanding until his stomach pressed hard against the coils. He hung his head, and a moment later the lamia's scaled tip lifted his head as she brought her face closer.
"What was that, pet? You seemed to have said something. Go on now, make it quick. I've not ate in a month, and I'm famished."
On an exhale, Sean said "A game. I propose a game". He lifted his head, sweat breaking on his brow as he met the snake-girl's eyes again. He inhaled sharply through his nose, and smiled.
"One question each, true or false. If I lose-"
"Trust me, you will." said the lamia.
"If I lose, you get to eat me. I'll bow my head and take it, without further delay. But if I win-"
"Which again, you won't," said the lamia, a crooked grin on her face.
"But if I do," Sean broke in, "You have to let me go. A fair trade?"
The lamia's tongue flicked against the air a moment, the black iris slits of her eyes focused on Sean. Her tongue, a forked, wet affair, trailed against his cheeks and the curve of his nose. The lamia shifted, and laughed as she nodded her head, resting her hands upon her hips.
"Fine. Some fun before we feast then. But one question, to the each of us. I'm going to start with you. And remember," said the lamia as she slithered away, her tail wrapping around Sean's ankle. As she moved, she uncoiled from him. Sean scrambled to escape, and as he raised his legs, gravity inverted. He looked down (up? Which was which, by this point?) at his feet, which were still firmly entangled within the lamia's grip. The lamia's face, inches from his own, grinned wide. Her teeth were inches long, and when she spoke, saliva dripped from her maw and splattered against the cave floor.
"These are the last moments of your life, and you've let them slip by with a silly little attempt. Answer wisely, human."
Sean fought the bile in the back of his throat, and gave a nod. The serpent's tongue flicked against his cheek in a wet, grimy trail down his neck. As it met his collar, the lamia's slim hands went up and popped the button of his shirt. The tongue felt cool on his skin, and as it trailed upwards towards his navel, he surpressed a shudder. The snake girl had just met his navel, and freed his shirt from his frame. Her form shifted, and she regarded him as she spoke her question.