“A ‘bratwurst’ of Trixikka?”
I haven’t known Bea for very long, but every interaction I’ve had with her has backed up the notion that she’s a sweet, shy, reserved girl. So, just like the others, I’m staring at her, trying not to burst out laughing.
“A ‘jaw ache’ is fuckingperfect!” Chastity exclaims before launching herself on Bea, bowling her over backward. “I love it!” she cackles. “My girl’s a genius!”
She issues Bea with a peck to her cheek that makes the girl smile and blush harder. “I can do rude jokes,” she says, shaking her head and sitting up while wiping at her cheek. “Just because I don’t talk about giant alien penises all day long, doesn’t mean I don’t like sex.”
There’s a deep clearing of someone’s throat, and we all look up to see one-eyed Zyntarr standing close by, his stint at training apparently now over. He bows at us all, then does an extra one -just for Bea. “I should like to help you this day, Bea.”
Bea, the poor girl, swallows down a squeak. “Help me?”
The hulking warrior nods slowly, his one eye bright as he watches Bea. “Yes. With the pot-making. I will carry the fresh clay from the bank and… help you in any way that will be useful to you.”
“Oh, she’s got a use for you, alri-oof!”
Bea elbows Chastity in the ribs and issues a glare that would do an old school mistress proud.
“Bea?” Zyntarr asks, watching the woman get more and more flustered but clearly having no clue why. “Are you well?”
“Oh, she’s fine,” Chastity answers, winking at Bea now, “just a bit of jaw ache. Nothing to worry about.”
Zyntarr’s skin-stars flare up in concern. “Jaw ache?” he asks, dropping to one knee in front of Bea who goes rigidly still. He starts reaching out to touch her face but pauses with a grunt. “May I?”
Bea’s gaze goes from Zyntarr’s one uncovered eye, to his outstretched hand and then back to meet his intense stare.
I feel like I shouldn’t be here. This feels so damn intimate, but I can’t look away. It’s clear to everyone here that this guy is infatuated with Bea. Briefly, my eyes drop to his chest to see a lack of heart-stars but mentally kick myself for even checking. It shouldn’t matter. It really shouldn’t.
Bea doesn’t say anything, only nods her head minutely, and then Zyntarr movessogently - much more gently than you’d think a male of his size is capable of, especially with just how brutally violent he looks. He cups her jaw in his giant hand, softly moving her head this way and that while he feels for injury. “Open your mouth for me, little Bea,” Zyntarr rumbles low, in a deep but soft voice.
Her lips part on a small gasp and I can’t help but glance around at the others. We’re all here, a little slack-jawed ourselves.
“Is that as wide as you can go without pain?” the massive, scarred Trixikka asks, completely oblivious to how we’re all viewing this interaction.
Ok, this is all too much. Standing, I dust myself off, feeling like I’m intruding and it’s starting to get uncomfortable. “Uh, you were going to show me the Temple today, Chastity. Shall we all go now?”
The redhead looks back and forth between me and Bea. “Um… yeah, sure. Uh… Bea?”
The mousy-haired girl tears her gaze from the man delicately holding her whole jaw to look at us. Her expression is a little dazed and a lot flustered, but she shakes herself of it and blinks at us.
“Do you wanna come too?” Chastity asks, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “To show Polly the Temple? Or are you ok here?” She looks pointedly at the guy currently holding Bea captive. Everything about Zyntarr screams danger to me. He’s broad - broader than all the other Trixikka, and the map of scars on his body only speak of a landscape of violence. And Bea, well she’s the most timid of the girls here. Probably the smallest, too.
I think she trusts him, though, because whatever she sees in that one good eye of his makes her answer, “n-no, I’m good here. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“You sure?” both Alana and Serena ask at the same time.
Bea looks up to her scary-looking man and nods with a smile that’s shy but genuine.
Chapter 23 - Polly
“So, let me get this straight,” I start, twirling my fingers as if that will help all this new information sink in faster. “The Trixikka makeofferingsof… their…”
“Pots of disco cum,” Chastity provides, helpfully.
“Yeah,that. And it gets taken inside this insane-looking thing-” I gesture toward the smooth, white structure in front of us that looks so out of place against the backdrop of rugged mountain and wild jungle. “Where there are female Trixikka inside who-”
“That’s what they believe,” Serena adds, crossing her arms over her body as she glances at the Trixikka who walked us here, standing a few feet away, keeping guard.
I look at each of the others and it’s clear they’re all as skeptical of that explanation as I am. Alana helpfully fills in the last of my question by continuing with, “and then this thing spits out a huge-ass egg with a Trixikka child inside who can walk and talk within a few minutes of hatching. This little one really was a surprise for them,” she says, bouncing little Nova on her shoulder while she pats her back.
