Under the counter

Story by Doc Hauke on SoFurry

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It was an average day, perhaps slightly slower than average. This normally would have bored Sasha to tears, except for two things: snakes, including anthro snakes of her variety, had no tear ducts; and second, Sasha was very preoccupied by an event she had been expecting, and had hoped to begin and finish the night before. But some things work on their own schedule, she had found.

She had prepared for her brood's arrival all day yesterday, and hoped her delivery would take place last night. Her job didn't come with maternity leave, and reptiles usually didn't get that benefit anyway--a bit of prejudice that she had learned to endure without much thought. It should have been simple to handle with a bit of advance planning.

But her eggs had stubbornly refused her attempts to move them through the night. It seemed perverse to her that now, while she was at work, they were restlessly shifting in her lower coils, sliding despite her attempts to curtail their progress. "At least I'm mostly behind a desk," she muttered.

She hissed with irritation as she straightened out her uniform: a pressed and spotless blazer with the resort logo printed on the left shoulder. It was tan, which went with her scales very nicely, and as always it was resting on her frame perfectly. If it had extended lower, it would have been a very tight fit around her gravid body, which was now naked. She occupied a desk in a corner, adjacent to a hallway marked "staff only". Nobody would get a view of things she didn't want them to see.

Despite the good fit on the portion of her that was visible over the counter, the blazer felt perfectly uncomfortable. Everything about being there that day was full of discomfort.

A large boar and sow, a couple of some importance, rounded the corner from the more exclusive rooms and dining halls, and were browsing maps right next to Sasha's counter. She knew they were going to ask something eventually, but it would be in a few minutes--most guests of the resort unfailingly scanned the fliers and advertisements before going for expert help in finding something that had been staring them in the face all along. It was just how things were. She waited patiently, her labors temporarily becoming less of a distraction.

The couple took their time, and unfortunately they took too long. Sasha's relaxed anticipation for being of assistance changed slowly as she realized she was laying an egg, right now. She tensed slightly, her tongue flickering out a few times, and then she stared straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to everything.

Behind the counter, her cloacal vent slowly dilated, gaped open, then closed. It opened again, and this time before closing completely, the lips of her vent rested on either side of a circle of eggshell protruding slightly from her.

Everything stayed locked as it was for several seconds, until the boar approached the counter. "Excuse me," he began.

Sasha seemed to be ignoring him, still staring at some point across the lobby. She began to open her mouth to answer, but her break in concentration caused a massive shuddering wave that traveled down her length--a huge contraction that squeezed the breath out of her, as well as moving the snake's egg a little further through her cloaca. The lips of her vent bulged apart further, stretching her uncomfortably. "What?!?"

The boar coughed. "My wife and I would--I say, are you all right?"

Sasha was slowly bowing her head and panting. The egg was sliding along due to a mixture of involuntary contractions and somewhat voluntary efforts; dealing with being stretched open was intolerable, so Sasha would squeeze and push on the egg. This triggered another contraction, in a cycle that, given the circumstances, was a case of unfortunate timing. It was difficult to not let the strain of labor show too much in her voice.

She groaned. "I'm--I'm fine," she said between gasps for breath. "You and your wife, you've decided--" she trailed off with a hiss as her hands gripped the counter hard.

"We're interested in shopping," the sow cut in. "Is there a shuttle service to Brassley Colonade?"

"Yesssss," Sasha hissed. Her vent was wide open, the egg at a critical point. "But wait, you...might not...mmph...want to go today, if you were interested in the art and antique shops..."

"Just a little further, just a little bit more, you stubborn egg," she thought to herself as she gathered her strength. Her hands fumbled around on the counter, searching for a flier. "There's a traders and artisans show, a little further in the opposite direction; I heard most of the good stuff will be there. But it's today only."

"Oh," said the sow. "Thank you very much." They left, perhaps a bit confused or concerned about the concierge, but they at least had a plan for the day. The boar gave her a look over his shoulder as they went down the hall, making their way to the front entrance.

As they disappeared, Sasha sighed with relief. It was not that they were gone, but that the egg was almost out. She tensed up one last time, staring across the lobby, and with a grunt, finished her labors on the first egg. It lay nestled in her coils, waiting for its siblings.

"I hope nothing complicated comes up," the snake said to herself. She organized her counter, making it presentable, and also let the egg roll from coil to coil until it rested on the floor surrounded by several loops of her lower body. She waited for the next arrival, unsure if it'd be in front of the counter or behind it.