Day 4 is for https://twitter.com/DergSnippy
After a long day of work, Snippy just wants to lie back with some very calming music to unwind.

4. Headphones

It had been a long day.

With tired, dragging steps Snippy carried their form up the stairs with no small amount of gratitude towards their approaching rest. It was an odd type of movement; one could describe it as shambling, as pounds of symbiotic flesh rolled about in the shape of a pudgy, pale dragon headed towards their bed.

After all, despite the nature of the symbiote’s less-than-organic existence, they still yearned for the simple delights of life, still felt the same needs and tendencies as any emotional creature. And in this moment, what Snippy craved most of all, was rest. Though there was more than the desire for simple sleep buzzing around the dragon’s mind; they had been excited to listen to their favourite band’s latest album that had only dropped earlier in the day.

There had been more distractions and hold ups than the fatigued symbiote could even recount, but as they came to sit themselves down on the edge of their welcoming bed, little touches of tension began to ebb away with relief. Snippy had prepared for this; they had left their best pair of headphones to rest by the side of their bed, knowing full well that they would allow nothing to disturb this experience.

They lay back on the bed, gut sloshing slightly with heavy, symbiotic fluids, and placed their headphones over the top of their head. It was a tight but comfortable fit around their colourful horns. The dragon’s head fell back against the pillow as the headphones were plugged into their phone, and the screen lit up onto Snippy’s music player; the album already loaded in preparation.

It was a colourful album cover. Psychedelic patterns displaying waves in a myriad of bright colours flooded the dragon’s phone screen, overlaid by bold purple letters that read ‘SENSORY’. It was a far cry from the group’s usual aesthetic, but Snippy was an avid fan and was admittedly excited to experience something new from them.

They tapped play with a soft dragon claw and laid back, ready to let the stress of the day melt away. There was a brief moment of silence, long enough for Snippy to wonder if the track hadn’t actually begun; but then a soft thump filled his ears like the sound of a heartbeat, just the one pulse however.

Another thump sounded, followed by an echoing, electronic chord that made the dragon think of waves crashing over a shoreline. It faded out into another second of silence before a third, gentle thump flooded their ears. Snippy was immediately taken aback, perplexed by the very different and unexpected energy of the song.

There was a fourth beat, punctuated by the familiar voice of the lead singer simply saying “Breathe…” The word echoed a few times as the beat picked up into a higher tempo, still with the same hollow thump that resonated within the dragon’s head, though at least now it sounded a little more like their usual sound.

Snippy took a deep breath as instructed, only realising mid-exhale that they were actually doing so. They had become so distracted by the song that the response came through automatically. Before the symbiote even had time to process the effect it was having on them, the singer’s voice began to count in time with the percussion.

“1… 2… 3… 4… and breathe… 2… 3… 4… and out…”

A looping set of instructions that lay under the gentle melody of the song; Snippy noticed how the tune itself was beginning to rise and fall with the instructed rhythm of inhales and exhales. But once again, the distracting thought of this had allowed the dragon’s mind to wander to the simple task of breathing exactly when told to.

This time they only noticed themselves obeying after the fact, though found the effect to at least be enjoyable. The symbiote mentally shrugged, figuring the instructions to simply be part of the experience, and allowed themselves to settle into an easy rhythm of breathing in and out when told.

They had only wanted to relax after all, and the song was doing a very good job of helping them do just that. Snippy felt their body almost literally melting into the bed; their supple form allowing themselves to fit into the form of their sheets near perfectly, and the headphones atop their head went unnoticed now beyond the sensation of a comforting embrace hugging their ears.

“Close….. your eyes…” the voice said, practically a whisper this time around

The way they spoke made it seem as though the song was growing quieter, more distant even. Snippy forced themself to pay closer attention, listening more intently for the next set of instructions and thoughtlessly closed their eyes on their next, scintillating exhale. That moment was incomparable tranquillity, the music itself seemed to open up as one of the dragon’s senses switched off, leaving their sense of sound heightened.

There was a gentle rise in pitch to the song, as well as a faint, almost piercing tune cutting through the rest of the music that grew in power as if it were building to a crescendo of some kind. Snippy’s mind remained still however, focused on nothing but the music though with their attention caught on each sound like a fish snared within a net. They lay there practically paralyzed under the weightless sensation afforded to them by the song; it almost felt as if they were rising from their bed in this palpable build in energy before…

“Drop.”

The music cut off with one final beat of the drum. In that sudden moment of silence Snippy felt all the weight of their own body immediately dropped upon themself again, sending their mind plummeting down under the gravity of their own weakness. The dragon’s mind continued to obey without a second thought; the rug had been pulled out from under them too quickly to fight back. Now, they were just falling.

It was pleasant though, and sent them into a void of thought, completely empty and safe from the stresses of their day. It was peaceful, it was serene, and it was exactly what they wanted. After a few moment of mindless silence, the echoing crash of a synthetic tune graced the symbiote’s ears once more, turning their dull mind attentively back to the music, and nothing else.

Then, from seemingly nowhere, the singer’s voice said, “Good, we’re ready to begin.”