Bend Around the Wind by Scyllaya

Chapter 35: Desert Children

Chapter Thirty-Five

Desert Children

Fornax Galaxy

Tayo System

Sakaar Orbit

Juyu was very curious about the strange giant Loki brought on-board and she had more than one reason for it. First of all there was Loki, the grandmaster of merciless bastards, showing even a speck of care towards someone that was not Stark. That alone made things interesting to say the least. Then there was Bee. Juyu knew that look on her face. She was interested, even if it was hard to guess in what and why just yet. She looked at Drongo with open curiosity. There was not even guarded hesitancy in her gaze like there used to be with Loki. It made little sense to Juyu. While it was obvious to anyone who looked twice that Loki was dangerous, no one in their right mind would think him more dangerous than this Drongo fellow. Although size was not everything of course, since most would fear a punch from Juyu more than a strike from Bee, and oh how wrong they were to do so.

Still, Drongo was huge! She had never seen anyone this big before in her entire life. He also felt warm like a furnace. She could not sense temperature as well as in her true form, but she could still feel the warmth radiating from him when she stood next to him. The markings on his skin were also interesting. Reptilian skin was too thick for such decorations, so it was very rare sight in the Andromeda. He also spoke in a strangely rich and differently pronounced version of the Imperial common tongue, the kind Juyu only heard once or twice in her life. Those she knew before were not much for fancy words, and they were not from the smart variety either. Juyu felt oddly self-conscious about her roughly spoken words right now. She hated when others though she was stupid. Loki sometimes looked at her like that, but well, he looked at almost everyone like that, except for Stark of course. He looked at Stark like he was the one who put the stars on the sky.

Her eyes then landed on the wounds scattered all over the big man. Stark and Loki were on the other side of the cargo hold, discussing something. Juyu didn't bother with eavesdropping.

'Want something to clean your wounds with?' she asked. 'We have medical supplies.'

Drongo turned to look at her. His eyes were searching and calculating, in that they reminded her of Loki, but the gaze was also warm, maybe even honest, so that was different. Loki's hard and sharp gaze rarely softened... unless he was looking at Stark of course. Stark was always the exception when it came to Loki, it was ridiculous.

'That would be kind of you,' Drongo answered in his deep rumbling voice. Juyu shrugged and looked around in search for the nearest med kit box. It was absurd how much of the stuff they had on the ship. She still did not dare ask what was up with all the cargo, but from what she knew of Stark and Loki they probably did not buy all of this. Maybe she should take the time and ask Stark to tell her what exactly the two of them were running from. It would be fair. They knew almost everything about Juyu and her sister. She grabbed a few things then walked back and handed them over to Drongo.

'You can sit down on some of the boxes here,' she said. 'I don't think Stark wants you to go deeper into the ship just yet.'

'Thank you,' Drongo said, and he did just that after he found a box that was large enough for his size. Bee climbed up to a nearby stack of crates and kept staring down at the big man. He did not seem to mind. He opened up a bottle of cleaning salve more quickly than Juyu would've expected from someone with such thick fingers and poured out some on a piece of gauze to wipe the slashes and other wounds on his arms with it.

'What did that?' Juyu asked.

'Spikes,' Drongo replied. 'Insectoid creatures,' he clarified.

Juyu felt her eyes widen. 'Those had to be some massive insects,' she said.