She lifts her wrists and frowns at them. “Not really, but they don’t feel worse. We have hospitals on our ships, and they also carry lifesaving supplies. I’m glad some things haven’t changed. If this stuff has nanos in it, it’ll work. We’ll see.”
“Hmm,” I hum in understanding, aware that my offering may not help.I am not good at keeping a pet.I never thought I would be. And recent events prove I do not have the supplies to do so on hand.
But it is the medicine that has failed, not me. I will procure whatever she needs. I can always return to the hospital and scavenge for something else that might help tomorrow. It may take me most of the day… “Some things have not changed,” I repeat her words.
She looks at me sharply, then away again.
Coiling my tail around and under me, I loungeforward onto it, refusing to relinquish the satisfaction of merely watching her. She is interesting, and unlike anything else—not even the females—I have known. “I will not touch you unless necessary, human, but I will do what I must to keep you from leaving. Any rebellion on your part will result in my skin upon yours and your potential harm.”
“I understand,” she grumbles. “Can I get some privacy? I need a few minutes to myself.”
My eyes narrow. “Privacy?”
“Some place I can be alone for a bit. For bodily reasons?”
I scan her form, wondering what reasons she means, but then recall there are functions of my own body I do not want others to see…
“I will leave and give you this privacy. But first you must answer my question.”
She squints at me. “What?”
“What did you mean by taken? Who was taken, and why should I be afraid?”
Her brow furrows then relaxes as she takes in my question. “First, that’s two questions. Second, and as for being taken, I’m not entirely sure…” Her eyes dart around the room before returning to me. “I saw one of you on the ship I was on… They said it escaped and was attacking people… At least there were a lot of rumors going around. But I don’t think you should be afraid.”
“Why?” I eye her suspiciously.
She waves her hand at me. “I mean, look at you. No one’s going to try and take you anywhere, not unless they’re stupid. Well…” She laughs. “Not that most humans aren’t. Stupid.”
“They would be sssstupid,” I repeat her unfamiliarword, “if they tried. I will not be taken anywhere. Why was the other naga on your ship?”
Why would a naga possibly need or want to be on a human skycraft? They are nothing like the open land, or even the forest, rather metal clusters in the sky.
“I don’t know. I saw him, nothing else. He was smaller than you.”
“They all are.”
“All of them?” she asks, her gaze roaming over my tail.
Flexing the muscles in my tail, I show off my strength. “Yes.”
She seems to sigh to herself. “I guess I got lucky running into the biggest guy. Like usual, Sabrina.”
“What happened to the naga who was taken?” I ask, returning to the subject, needing to know more.
She shakes her head, her brow furrowing again when she looks back at my face. “I don’t know. We were both running to the port and… I lost sight of him. I’m sorry.”
I hiss and wave her off. “Do you know what they wanted with him?”
She shakes her head a second time. “No. I don’t know anything except that he was gray, and his tail had a unique pattern to it.”
Gray? With patterns? The naga could be from any number of clans.
“And you are sure it was a he?”
“Yes… Why?”
“I am merely curious,” I lie.
