Alien Dice

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Chapter 3

Chel smiled in her sleep. She couldn't remember a bed being more comfortable. The blankets were overly soft and warm and the air was crisp, like an autumn morning when one would much rather remain in bed than get up. The night had been, interesting. Lexx was calmer and more talkative. There was something fun about being able to talk freely like that after they'd started out on such bad terms. She was amazed that the things that Lexx spoke about occurred in space.

This whole ordeal about the game, she understood it now, to a point. The part she couldn't fathom was why anyone would want to play such a game and putting herself in Lexx's position. She could see why he was so down on everything and couldn't offer any support other than listening. It was odd. He was really wasting her summer, but she didn't care.

What sort of summer did she expect to have anyway? The few friends she had were in summer courses, and she'd only come home to watch the house and relax. While she wasn't a shy person, she wasn't what anyone would call popular. Her hair was a point of constant teasing in high school. The glasses she had to wear occasionally were also a target. She wasn't perfect, she was nowhere near it. There was no interest in the things that other girls her age were interested in. Makeup? S he could care less. How could makeup improve your hair? Clothing? She liked nice clothing, but stuck to looser baggy clothing. The only thing Chel could think of as going for her was that she had clear skin and was on a spaceship orbiting Earth.

Then, she realized that the air was warm near her face. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring into a dark red and gold snout, .. followed by a slathering from the connecting pink tongue.

"Chel up! Chel up!" Zeta bounced backward happily.

"YUCK! ZETA!!" Chel sat up wiping the blanket across her face. The little dinosaur looked pleased with himself, spun on his heels and continued bouncing eagerly around Chel's knees.

"Lexx say you awake, you come eat! Lexx make breakfast! Smell good!" Zeta swished his tail so hard it seemed to threaten to knock him off his own feet. He abruptly stopped and added, "Then you, Chel, give Zeta bite of food? Zeta hungry!" Zeta of course, had made the assumption that with two eating, there would be twice as many bites for him. Excitedly, he ran to the door and back again, tugging at Chel's pants.

"Hold on, Zeta… I need to shower and change." She knelt down to push his head away from her pants before he ripped them.

"Zeta hungry…." He whined plaintively, lowering his head, "But if want clean, go 'head, don't need stinky humans ruining breakfast good smell."

Chel hrmpthed and started toward the bathing room. Lexx had pointed it out for her the previous night and told her how to use it … and what to expect. She got halfway through the door and stopped abruptly. Thud. Zeta ran into the back of her legs. "Oh no you don't!" Chel turned and pushed Zeta back with her foot, "I don't need company!"

"Zeta just curious." He thumped back onto his haunches right in front of the door. "Zeta think silly wear all those things. Zeta not wear those things. Zeta not understand why Lexx wear heavy stuff. Maybe Lexx not wear so much, might not need so cold!"

"Because,… uhm…" Chel stared at the dice uncertainly. Why was she having this conversation? "Wearing things makes it easier to tell us apart." Yes, that was a good response that wouldn't require further explanation.

Zeta cocked his head to one side. "Zeta tell you apart by smell! You smell funny, not like Lexx."

Chel closed the door.

Zeta stood up on the other side, placing his forepaws on the metal and yelling, "You smell like Lexx when get clean?" He yelled.

"I doubt it!" Chel responded, "Now go away, I'll be out in a few minutes."

Zeta sat outside the door.

Lexx stood in what served as a kitchen, frowning over the hotplate. The kitchen was more of a small cubby, out of sight of the living area. Several lockers fixed into the walls kept varying degrees of temperature for food storage and a few enclosed shelves. There were two pans on the plate, one covered and one open with a gently boiling creamy looking mixture inside. Something Lexx had picked up as relaxing was cooking, only he wasn't sure how good of a cook he was. Now, he was watching to make sure everything was perfect. He was also a little bit worried that Chel might not like it. That thought was a little surprising to him. Why did he care what she thought of his cooking? She'd have to eat it or go hungry, so whether she liked it or not didn't matter.

The timer dinged and Lexx slid the two pans off of it, quickly taking the covered pan and sliding it into the cold storage. He had to move it, but not too hard or it'd collapse. Steam filled the air as it hit the cooler surface of the cold rack. Lexx closed the door and reset the timer.

"Nothing but trouble." Lexx sighed, leaning against the wall, folding his arms and looking down at the floor. He was getting really tired of the constant conflicts in his head. He didn't need them. It was simpler when that human was not involved, but he'd been dwelling on that for too long. It was getting in the way. For now, he'd decided that it was better to just accept she was here and not fight it. She was very insistent. His dice were insistent. It wouldn't be forever. He'd be rid of her in a few weeks and on his way to freedom. She wasn't actually in the way, and … in a way he enjoyed having someone else to talk to.

She wasn't like the dice, she could actually carry on a conversation that didn't end in asking for treats. Dice were intelligent, but most of them were not very intellectual and the ones that were, like Stealth, were also condescending and liked pointing out things to Lexx that he didn't want to think about.

"It smells good…" Lexx blinked and looked up. Chel and Zeta were standing in the doorway.

"Thank you." Lexx nodded, then jumped as the timer went off. "Go sit at the table, I'll bring it out in a minute!"

"Hurray! FOOOOOD!!" Zeta ran a quick circle around Chel and then darted to the couch.

Chel giggled and Lexx … smiled. He had his back turned to her so she couldn't see. He wouldn't want her to see that, because he couldn't help it. That sound wasn't something he had heard in a long time. He couldn't consciously recall the last time he'd heard someone laugh, other than the dice and dice don't usually laugh the way girls do. Free of the burdens of life.

Chel stared at the plate. Breakfast consisted of a large slice of a very thick yellow cake like thing. It wiggled like jello, with a bit firmer form to it. Chel poked it with the flat of the spoon like silverware Lexx had given her. There were some sort of chunky things in it and a creamy white syrup poured over it and pooling on the plate. She wasn't sure she wanted to take a bite of it.

Then, she realized that Lexx was staring at her and Zeta had his head on the table, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth, looking longingly at the plate. Chel swallowed and licked the spoon. It was sweet and tasted good. Lexx was still looking at her, obviously expecting her to try a bigger bite.

Carefully, she spooned up more and tentatively stuck it in her mouth. It was better than she imagined, like warm ice cream and apple pie. "This is really good, Lexx."

"I was unsure if you would find it acceptable." Lexx commented. "I've never cooked for someone else. It's called Cible"

"I like it." Chel smiled and spooned up more of it, much to Zeta's dismay. She liked it, drat! He wasn't going to get any bites this way.

Zeta whined and got a dirty look from Lexx. "Zeta, I'll feed you later, stop begging."

With a louder whine, Zeta slunk from the table and laid down underneath it,… until a spoonful of Cible slopped on his muzzle from Lexx's side of the table.

Lexx stared into his cup. Breakfast was done and now they were just sitting in silence. He didn't know what to say.

"how do you feel, Lexx?" Chel inquired.

"Not like talking." Lexx tilted his cup to emphasis his mood. He had no idea what to do now.

"I'm sorry…."

"…."

Chel scooted a bit closer to him, "We have a lot of free time, right?"

"Yes," Lexx replied giving her a suspicious look. "Too much."

"Why don't we go back to my house for awhile and then watch a movie, … we can pick up that carton of milk we owe Stealth."

Lexx swallowed hard. He hadn't expected that sort of a suggestion. "Movie? What for?"

"Fun?" Chel grinned.

"I don't want to have fun, Chel." Lexx didn't feel as though he deserved to in any case.

"You're so down. I'd like to cheer you up, or at least TRY!" Chel persisted.

Lexx couldn't help but find it a little amusing. She was literally begging to take him somewhere, which sounded suspiciously like a date, at least, from what he'd seen on Earth TV. Humans liked going to movies for dates, he'd observed, which usually ended up in kissing and other things he didn't have interest in.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Chel?" He smirked.

The question caught Chel offguard. She hadn't really thought of it that way. "Just friends?" She quickly verified.

"We aren't friends." Lexx snorted drily. He turned away to stare into his cup. "I do NOT like you."

"You're going to have me around for awhile, so why not at least let yourself do something fun with me." Chel wasn't going to give up. She could tell that while Lexx was resisting the suggestion, he wasn't doing so with any real conviction behind it. He just didn't want to. He didn't have a real reason, did he? Otherwise, he would have just said no and left, ending the conversation. Instead, he continued responding.

"I don't want to like you, Chel, or anyone else for that matter. It's safer that way." Lexx mumbled into his cup.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Lexx. What else are you going to do?"

Lexx closed his eyes, considering that. He was stuck on the ship. He couldn't go anywhere because he didn't really know a lot about the planet, as his experiences with Chel had pointed out There was no way he could go after the next dice until he had at least Stealth and … he wasn't in the mood to fight with Chel over it.

"…Ok…" Lexx sighed, resigning himself to going down to the planet There would not be any harm in it and he did enjoy leaving the confines of the ship when he could.

Six hours later, Lexx was glad that he'd agreed to go. The movie had been interesting. Of course, Chel had chosen a comedic picture, purposely trying to get Lexx to lighten up. He'd sat through it without a word, conscious that he was in a theatre full of humans who probably would not be very amused if they found out there was an alien among them.

He'd elected to go down at night, wearing his coat and a hat to hide his ears. Tying them back like he had the night he met Chel wasn't very effective. The tips still showed. This way, he felt less like he stuck out, as long as he kept his head down, hair obscuring his features and skin color, nobody would take notice of him.

It had worked.

Now, leaving the theatre, he was feeling good. There was just something fun about being able to walk around and fool the humans. It also gave him time to get more acquainted with the things of this strange world, which he was very interested in. Lexx loved studying cultures and what better way to study than to walk among them?

"So, what did you think of the movie, Lexx?" Chel asked, studying Lexx's face. As she was shorter than he, she had an excellent view and noted that there was something different. He wasn't hiding behind the scowl and nervous eyes anymore.

"I liked it." Lexx admitted, hands in his pockets, not looking at Chel, and then, he added, "Can we see it again?" He couldn't believe he was asking that of her, when it had been she who begged to go in the first place.

"Not tonight, maybe another night?" Chel grinned.

Lexx was quiet as he continued walking, thinking about the evening and comparing it to the evening before. "When this game is over .. I'm considering staying here."

"Really?" Chel was amazed he would admit something like that to her. She thought he'd just go back to his ship and leave. Why would he want to stay here?

"Well, not here as in this city, but on this planet." Lexx clarified his statement, looking up as he walked and marveling at the view. From here, it gave him a chill to look up at a boundless sky, without a plate of clear metal to look through or anything between him and the stars,… but air. "I grew up on a space station, but my parents would talk about living on a planet. I just can't enjoy it until the game is over."

"You'd kinda stick out in the daylight." Chel felt the need to point that fact out, wanting to know more while Lexx felt like being talkative. There was no telling when his mood would change.

"I know places on Earth humans don't frequent." It felt good to talk freely, to tell someone else something that he'd found. Lexx didn't really care that she knew, who would she tell? "Places only accessible by my ship."

"You'd stay there alone?"

"I like being alone." Lexx stated matter of factly. It was find by him to be alone. He'd spent so many years that way, even in a crowd of other aliens in the AD Academy, he'd been alone. There were few like him, few he'd taken interest in or had taken interest in him. "Nobody leaves." He smiled.

"You're very depressing, Lexx." Chel couldn't imagine being stranded on an island and not minding the absence of other people. It was eerie enough to be in a house when no-one else was there. The silence was horrible. She then noticed that Lexx was doing something she hadn't seen before. He was genuinely smiling as he looked up at the sky. "What was that for?"

"What? You're very funny." Lexx replied, knowing exactly what she was going to point out.

"YOU smiled!" Chel laughed.

"Did not… that was a smirk, just like this!" He was feeling odd, to a point that he was randomly saying things that he wouldn't say normally. There was a little bit of fun in all of this and she wanted to cheer him up … and she had. "You know, Chel,… I really did have a good time. Thank you."

Chel nodded, turning a corner and seeing the lights to her house in the distance. The porch light was on and she was grateful that her brother and sister weren't at home right now. She didn't want them to scare Lexx, or vice versa. That would not be good. How would she explain it to them? What would it be like if she had to explain any of this to anyone?

"You would be in trouble, wouldn't you if you parents knew about me?" Out of the blue,… in more ways than one.

Chel blinked, a troubled feeling washing over her. "I don't know…" She shrugged it off. "My dad would probably just be mad that I was hanging out with a guy without anyone around." She laughed, a nervous somewhat high laugh.

Lexx bingo-ed, he'd found a point in Chel that SHE didn't want to talk about. Turnabout was fair play. "And why is that?" He asked the innocent question.

Chel stopped walking. Why was that? What kind of question was that? Why was that? "It's … uhm… improper for a young lady to be hanging out with young men, without parental supervision, at least, that's what my dad says. I think that's a very common thing among human fathers." She stumbled over the words, not wanting to offend Lexx by pointing out the obvious that it didn't really matter since he wasn't human. He'd just proven that in his statement. Apparently, the Risha thought differently.

"Why?" Lexx scratched his head, not comprehending the entire statement. In the Academy, there had been a lot of unsupervised and alone males and females and… oh yes, now he remembered. That wasn't something they liked either. "Nevermind." He muttered, furrowing his brow in what looked like to Chel, a bad memory. Idly, he dropped his hand to the left side of his neck, rubbing a jagged scar. "I know why,… my apologies, it's been a long time since I've really, ehm… paid attention to what goes on behind closed ports. I would think that your father would understand that there wouldn't be any sort of odd behavior going on, just judging by my appearance."

They had reached the house. Chel unlocked the door and turned on the lights. Lexx was quick to take off his hat and stuff it into a pocket. It was annoying him. "Humans are strange, but I think that is a wise thing for them to be leery of, females are evil."

"Yeah?" Chel locked the door and glanced over her shoulder, one eyebrow quirked up in question.

"Yes." Lexx wasn't aware that the look he was on the receiving end of required a very different response, "They want things, too many things. They're selfish, don't care who they hurt and I can't stand them."

Chel let it slide. It wasn't like he was talking about her, just perhaps, Rishan females, which she knew nothing about. "I feel sorry for you then."

Lexx shrugged, "Don't be, I live much better without letting all of that romance garbage clutter my mind. I wouldn't be a very effective dice player, nor have a chance of winning if my thoughts were constantly bogged down in thinking about this or that female. I've seen a lot of other players foul up that way… even saw a couple of dice get captured by a pretty face,… in more ways than one." He ranted quickly, folding his coat over one arm and sighing in relief. It had been a little to warm outside.

"Like something to drink?" Chel walked past, not looking at Lexx. She didn't want to go on with this conversation and hoped this would change it.

"Yes."

Chel returned with a glass of milk for Lexx, and a soda for herself. She recalled that he liked it and earlier, she'd gone out and picked up a gallon to take back to the ship for Stealth. Lexx accepted the glass and emptied it in one drink. He really did like the taste, it was so unusual. "What kind of program do your people use to create this? I wonder if I could replicate it."

"It's not a program." Chel giggled. "It comes from a cow."

"A cow?" Lexx looked quizzical, "What is a cow?"

"Oh, it's a four legged animal that eats grass and goes, moooo." Chel grinned at Lexx. He didn't know what a cow was. "We milk them, that's why it's called milk. Very good."

Lexx suddenly looked more green than blue, realizing something. "This … came from an animal?"

"Yes…" Chel replied uncertainly. Had she done something wrong.

"I … think I'm going to be sick…"

Lexx drank heavily of his favorite Dilna, powdered mixture and water, none of which had the misfortune of originating inside of an animal. That had been disgusting and the very thought had made him have a very bad reaction to the milk. He'd helped Chel clean up, but felt a little bad about it.

How could she drink something that came from an animal? Of course, she didn't know that all of Lexx's foods were created by a machine. Living in space, one did not eat animals, that was barbaric. The dice would eat animals, but not Lexx, nor would he eat things that grew in the ground or anywhere else. It was sickening.

Chel was amusing herself with a book that Lexx had given her on life on a spacestation, which outlined clearly how their food was prepared, hopefully so she wouldn't offer him anything else along the organic lines. Besides, the nutra-mixes were far better for keeping one in a perfect balance.

Lexx hmmmd, drifting from that thought to another one. He was more relaxed now that things were not so tense between them. He could speak freely and well, he'd thrown up in front of her. It was embarrassing and not something he desired to repeat, but she'd been nice about it. Lexx set down the glass, realizing… "It's time."

"Time for what?" Chel looked up from her book, taking off her glasses.

"To release Stealth and Fly. They should be ready now." Lexx fished around in his pocket for the pair of dice. He'd picked them out earlier this morning so they could be released as soon as they were ready and the buzzing in his pocket was a definite indicator they'd been reset. He held out the pair of dice to Chel. "Chel, you can release them. Just toss the dice." He felt that was the least he could do.

Chel didn't know what to expect as she dropped the dice on the floor. They bounced once and then flickered, the forms of Stealth and Fly appearing where they had been, or at least, a version of them. The two were smaller than they were before. Stealth looked more like a kitten and only had one tail now, Fly was nothing more than a ball of fluff with two big blue eyes, a golden triangle between them and a long tail.

"Oh, they're so cute!" Chel knelt down, reaching for Fly first of all. She couldn't resist.

Lexx sighed next to her, arms folded, "Yes, and weak… and pathetic."

Zeta blinked from behind Lexx and Chel's legs. Stealth and Fly were glaring at him, and then, without warning the two leapt at him, batting at his head and body, hissing and chittering angrily. They were not pleased.

"Oww! Oww! Zeta not mean make you cute!!" He squealed, trying to protect his eyes. They were small, but they still pinched with their tiny claws and teeth.

"We are NOT cute!" Both growled simultaneously.

"Ok you two." Lexx rescued Zeta by grabbing both of the little dice by the backs of their necks and handing them to Chel. "Zeta made a mistake and he's already been punished for it."

"Pffft." Stealth arched her back, hanging over Chel's arm and spitting in Zeta's direction. She was not at all happy with her current state. "Just you wait, Zeta… when you're sleeping, or rather, not sleeping."

Fly crawled up onto Chel's shoulder and merely puffed up. "Just look, my tail! My tail, it shrunk!"

Chel giggled, despite how they were acting, they were still unbearably adorable.

"IF you want to put on something lighter, you might go change, Chel. It's usually hot down on the beach." Lexx went to the cabinets that served as a closet and pulled out his coat. "I'm only bringing my coat because it's also very windy at times… and I need the pockets. "Stealth and Fly are going to need exercise as well as my new dice."

Chel nodded, going back to the bedroom, carrying Stealth and Fly with her. She returned a few minutes later in blue jeans and a tshirt. She'd been on enough trips to the beach to know she'd probably be more comfortable in this than shorts, especially since she didn't plan on swimming and might want to sit down.

"Wow,… it is beautiful, Lexx." Chel couldn't believe her eyes as she stepped through the portal. She'd become as accustomed to stepping through it as through any door, although it still felt weird. Now, they were standing in soft sand, looking out over a beautiful rolling beach with patches of grass here and there, and a few palm trees, their fronds waving in a gentle breeze. She turned to look behind her at an expansive forest of exotic trees and could hear the echoing calls of birds and monkeys. What an amazing place. It was right out of a dream.

"Yes,… and it's perfect for water training." Lexx reached into his pocket and started walking toward the ocean. The waves were not that high, just a foot and lazily crashed against the sand. Lexx detoured toward a row of rocks with grass growing around them.

Zeta, Stealth and Fly cowered together, not following. Instead, they remained near Chel, "I hate water!" Stealth hissed.

"I fly! I do not swim!!" Fly cringed next to Zeta whom admitted lowly, "Zeta 'fraid of big water!"

Lexx took off his coat, carefully folded it and layed it on a large rock, then did the same with his shirt. "Wimps! You won't drown and it's good exercise. Chel, come here."

Chel looked at Lexx reproachfully, wondering what he had in mind. She hadn't planned on going swimming and a flicker of distrust due to a childhood filled with boys and young men tricking girls into being thrown into large pools of water, flared through her. "I didn't bring a swimsuit and I don't want to get my clothes wet!"

"You won't." Lexx reassured her, starting down the bank. "Bring the fluff balls with you … and Zeta…" The sallomandyr spun around and ran past Lexx, first looking like he was going to run into the water, and then completely losing it and turning with a yelp. "Come back here!"

Zeta froze in his tracks, not turning this time, but merely lowering his head and looking back at Lexx. "Big water try eat Zeta! See Big Mouth!" He hopped sideways as a wave crashed onto the rocks nearby with a bit more force than the ones further down the beach.

Chel scooped up the kitten and the squirrel easily. They didn't seem to be able to move quite as fast in this form, especially in the sand. Stealth pressed up against her, uncertain as to what Lexx had planned, but knowing how vulnerable she was in this form. Her claws wouldn't be very effective. Fly on the other hand, was curious. He perked up and stared at Lexx. "What are you going to do with them, Lexx?" Chel inquired curiously, stopping in front of Lexx.

"Nothing really." Lexx reached out to pick up the pair of dice by the nape of their necks, then turned toward the water. Fly's tail immediately puffed up while Stealth hissed and flailed her tiny paws into the air. "In you go!"

"Noooo!!!" The two protested as they became airborne and landed in the surf. It was just deep enough to soak their fur and then to make matters worse, a wave washed over them, knocking them off their feet. The pair came up sputtering.

"Lexx!!" Chel stared at the two now drenched dice in amazement. She hadn't expected Lexx to just throw them into the ocean. It really seemed cruel of him to do that. "That was mean! Are you going to toss me in too?!" Chel immediately regretted saying that. She backed away as Lexx looked over his shoulder. His moods did shift about unpredictably and right now, his expression told her she better not stand within arms reach.

"… are you feeling left out?" Lexx's voice dripped with teasing and for a moment, he looked to be considering something, but instead reached down and grabbed for Zeta, who had been edging away as well. He squealed and kicked fiercely, but apparently Lexx had dealt with him before in this manner and jerked him off his feet by the tail. "Ok, your turn, Zeta. It's not that bad!"

Zeta didn't seem to buy it, he continued trying to reach the ground with his forelegs, crown flipped backwards in fright against his neck, "No! No! Zeta DROWN!!" The panicking creature screeched, "Zeta not want get eatted by water!"

Lexx jumped forward, heaving Zeta forward by his tail. "Lexx!" Chel yelled, tentatively starting forward, wondering if she should stop him. "You're hurting him!"

"No I'm not." Lexx swung Zeta up and out just past Stealth and Fly. He hit the water with a shriek, rolled and then came up gasping for air and kicking. "Zeta, you madiard! It's only a foot deep!" Zeta sat up, looking forlorn and shivering. In front of him, Stealth was sulking and Fly was splashing about unsteadily. Zeta inhaled deeply, but didn't actually seem to be hurt. "It's just water, see?"

Zeta recoiled in distaste; face contorting as he ran his tongue around the outside of his mouth then shook his head violently. "Yaaagh… water ONLY good for drinking! This water not even good for that!" He spat and stood up. "Nasty!"

Lexx held up a small blue dice, showing it to Zeta, "Careful, or I'll replace you with someone more agreeable." He smiled and flicked the dice out into the water. There was a blast of color and then a dark form could be seen beneath the surface of the deeper water. Lexx started to wade out to it while Chel walked to the end of a rock outcrop and sat down, safe from the water and being drenched, but with a good view of everyone.

The water was waist deep near the end of the outcropping and dropped off even deeper to the side. Various colorful fish darted around the deep end. Some sort of grass was growing around the rock, which Chel thought was odd. Shouldn't the salt water kill grass?

"Chel, meet Skate, the Swim Dice, at least she likes the water." Lexx patted the head of a dark red creature with white speckles all over its head. Chel stared at it. It looked a lot like a ray, but a lot larger and at the moment, the things she thought were feelers were waving about above the water inquisitively. It,… she reprimanded herself recalling that Lexx had referred to it as a she and she had a name and apparently wasn't like any fish she'd ever seen. Perhaps it wasn't even a fish. Zeta wasn't really a lizard, she knew that. He was very warm and had smooth skin, no scales at all.

"Skate?" Chel leaned forward cautiously. "She looks like a manta ray, only more colorful!" Lexx seemed pleased by that, rubbing the creature on the center of her head like it was a beloved puppy. Even Zeta turned and looked with a pathetic expression on his face as the discarded. 'I know I'm going to get wet…' The thought entered Chel's head. 'I just know it.'

Lexx waded toward Chel, stopping at the edge of the outcropping. Chel started to scoot backwards, trying to get out of his reach, only to slip and fall feet first onto a lower section of the rock.

"Hey! Don't throw me in! I do not want to swim!" Chel yelped too late. Lexx already had her around the waist and was holding her up while stepping backward.

"Relax, Chel." Lexx was being careful, but that didn't put Chel at ease. "I'm not going to drop you on purpose or accidentally." Skate swam a circle around Lexx and stopped just to his side, holding steady. "Good girl. Skate catches on quick."

Chel found herself sitting on top of the dice as it broke the surface. "I'm too heavy for skate right now, so she can practice with you."

"I didn't volunteer for this!" Chel squeaked uncertainly. Skate had an odd texture to her skin and Chel was afraid she might hurt her. The dice was smooth and had a very soft skin that sunk in slightly under her weight, like a cushion. "Lexx…" Chel began to whine faintly, "Take me back to the beach, please!"

Lexx completely ignored Chel's protests, waving at Skate, "Hover."

Chel shrieked as she felt herself rising. Any moment now, she was going to slide off. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold onto the leathery skin of the dice. Skate contorted her body perfectly to keep Chel from falling and didn't seem to have any problem in hovering a few inches above the surface of the water. Her long crimson tail twitched, the barbs at the end flicking water into the air every few seconds. Chel wasn't going to fall if Skate had anything to do with it.

And then, Chel heard Lexx laughing, a low chuckle that gradually rose in volume then tapered off to snickering. Lexx was amused by Chel's expression. She looked to be in tremendous pain despite nothing happening to her. "Chel, open your eyes."

The girl slowly sat up and looked around. "You said this was the swim dice! Why is it flying?!"

"She." Lexx corrected her. "All dice have attributes that enable them to survive in any environment,… they just may not like it… Zeta for example. He's a fire type dice, but he can swim if he tried. "

Zeta snorted, closer to the shore, making his way to the outcropping. "Zeta not like swim! Zeta see no reason try swim!"

"Zeta coward." Stealth hissed, already at the base of the outcropping and pulling her soaking wet self up onto it.

"Zeta big dum-dum, wet head!" Fly mocked Zeta, clinging onto the end of Stealth's tail. He was in even worse shape as his thick tail had soaked up the water like a sponge. Stealth strained to get a hold of the top of the rock, but the added weight was too much.

"Fly, let go!" Stealth hissed, her small claws scraping over the wet rock repeatedly.

Zeta hopped forward with a splash, swung around and smacked his tail into the water, sending an arc of water on top of the two. It was more than Stealth could handle and she lost her grip completely. Both she and Fly fell back with earsplitting shrieks, as though they were plummeting to their deaths.

"Zeta think little fuzz balls talk less bad about Zeta, watch where climbing!" Zeta turned the other way, splashing them again.

Stealth hissed and managed to make it to the top of the rock without Fly dragging her down. The squirrel splashed about futilely a moment before Zeta flipped him onto the outcropping with his head.

"Yuck.. yuck.. yuck." Stealth began drying her fur the old fashioned way,.. with her tongue as Fly got situated next to her and started grooming as well. The salt water from the ocean didn't quite agree with either of them and for the first time in her life, Stealth wished for a bath with warm soapy water.

"Stealth kitty and fly fluff want dry faster?" Zeta inquired, still stuck in the water. He was watching the two and off the top of his head thought he'd offer his assistance. After all, he could dry them much quicker than they could and he really enjoyed being useful. Both Fly and Stealth's fur stuck out straight. They waved their paws at Zeta and unanimously shouted, "No!"

Out further into the bay, Skate was hovering in circles around Lexx and doing so in an up and down manner, much like a roller coaster. Chel was beginning to feel sick from all the circling and ups and downs, as well as the heavy smell of the ocean. "I'm… getting dizzy, Lexx." She called out as Skate came closer to him.

"You can always jump off, Chel." Lexx smiled again. He'd been doing that a lot lately and the smiles were getting more and more dark in intent.

"No way! I'm wearing a white shirt!" Chel yelped, tightening her hold onto Skate's top fins. Why had she brought the white shirt? Probably because it was the last clean shirt she had and it'd be cooler than a dark one, but there was the aspect of water she should have taken into account. As well as the aspect of ending up in it.

As skate passed over Lexx, he reached up and grabbed her by the tail, jerking her backwards. "Oro!" Skate tilted to the left and Chel went flying off with a screech and a loud splash.

"Lexx!" Chel screeched angrily, finding her feet after a few unsuccessful attempts to stand on the shifting sandy bottom. She quickly wrapped her arms over her chest.

"What?" Lexx was thoroughly amused at Chel stumbling, sputtering and then the subsequent yelling and glaring. He had succeeded in making her angry! "Skate's still a little unsteady." He felt the need to make the excuse, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them. "I don't see what the problem is anyway. It's just water. It won't hurt you."

"That's not the point!" Chel fumed, starting to shiver in the warm ocean breeze. The water was warm, but the water soaked clothing only seemed to cling to her skin and quickly turned cold in the breeze. Skate bumped up against her waist and nudged her arms. Chel barely stifled a giggle. She didn't want to start laughing. She was angry and that was the way she wanted to stay, but the nudging was tickling her and the noise Skate made was odd. Oro,.. Oro… it seemed to be the only sound it made, repeatedly in a quavering tone. "Stop that, it tickles, skate!" Chel stared at the creature and then added, "Doesn't this one talk like the others?"

"No. Not all of the dice are capable of speaking." Lexx waded closer, holding out a hand, "Which is good, since as you know from Stealth, Fly… and Zeta, once they start talking they never stop." Then, he splashed Chel, slapping his hands hard on the surface of the water. "You're already wet! What's a bit more?"

Chel reacted by screeching and quickly turning her back to Lexx. A lot of good it did. "Why are you picking on me?!" She cringed as another wave of water splashed against her back. This was just so unlike her first impression of the strange blue skinned alien.

He didn't miss a beat, replying, "Because, you're like the annoying little sister I never had,.." His voice took on a sarcastic level, "And you wanted me to have fun. I think this is fun." Lexx was smiling. It felt good to smile and to him, it felt as though something had lifted off his shoulders for the moment. Unfortunately, it still tugged at the back of his mind that he didn't have the right to be doing this. He shouldn't be playing. How irresponsible of him. The girl was really causing more problems. He had to justify his actions. Justify. He wasn't playing, he was picking on her to get her to go away! Maybe if he made her uncomfortable enough, she'd leave. Lexx settled back into the water a bit, enjoying its warmth. He really did like water. It was such an interesting element. "Would you prefer I go back to ignoring you?" Now why did he ask that? That didn't justify his actions at all.

"No,.. but.." Chel started to speak, but Skate seemed to have another idea. The dice slid beneath the water and then hit Chel's legs with her body, knocking the girl down and on top of Skate as she rose from the water. Caught off guard, all Chel could do was hold on.

"Deuce!" Lexx cursed open-mouthed. "All of my dice are on your side!" Skate hovered just out of Lexx's reach, knowing that she could easily get out of his way should he try to get her new possession. Even though she was unable to speak, Skate was in every way as intelligent and conscious of what was going on around her as the other dice. She liked Chel.

Lexx splashed toward Skate, but the dice seemed quite up to the game and skimmed over the water just out of Lexx's reach, teasing him by getting just close enough at points so that his hands would touch, but not be able to get a good hold. Chel held on and laughed at Lexx's futile attempts, forgetting how angry she had been moments before.

For a few minutes, Skate managed to keep out Lexx's reach, until she misgauged a turn and her tail ended up in Lexx's hands. He held on tightly, despite the dice rising up higher off the water to try to shake him. "Where do you think you're going, Skate?!"

Back on the rock, oblivious to the play going on in the water, Zeta, Fly and Stealth were sprawled out in the sun. The rock was warm, the air was nice and best of all, their fur was no longer as soaked as it had been. They were just starting to doze in the light when the warmth was interrupted and they heard a soft humming sound,.. a familiar humming sound. Their eyes snapped open and they stared upward into the undercarriage of a passing space ship.

It was a small, two-person ship, mostly used to go down to a planet's surface from a much larger orbiting shuttle. This one had a sigil painted on the bottom of it in crimson against a black background. It was an identifying crest and unmistakable. Zeta quickly rolled to his feet, crown back as the ship circled and landed on the beach.

"Oh! No!!! Zeta better warn! Better warn fast!" The little dice leapt off the rock into the water without a second thought, despite his earlier protestations.

Moments after he left, a reddish black creature burst from the foliage and raced down the beach barking, "Yerf! Yerf! Yerf!" Stealth arched her back and darted to the nearest palm tree with Fly right behind her. Instinct told them that anything moving that fast and made noise, necessitated a trip out of reach.

Out in the bay, Zeta had reached Lexx and was nipping and clawing at his pants to get his attention.

"Hey, you waterlogged lizard,…" Lexx was surprised to see him out there, willingly, and let off his pursuit of the girl, who was once again in the water. "Let go! You're going to rip my clothes if you keep doing that!" That was odd. Lexx knew how much Zeta hated the water. Something had to have forced him to come out here. Expecting the worst, Lexx looked to the beach, "What're you doing out here? You hate the water,…" He trailed off, noting the figure standing on the beach. "Ashes,… Damian!"

Chel heard the panic in Lexx's voice, "Who? Someone else you have to fight? So soon?"

"No,…" Lexx's previous mood seemed to have vanished, replaced by a far more serious one, "He doesn't like that game. Damian prefers ordinary Alien Dice. I can't stand him!" His voice then rose in a slight whine of a beleaguered and harassed kid, "And he won't leave me alone!"

Damian didn't look very alien to Chel. He was taller than Lexx by a foot and had very humanlike features, down to the color of his skin. He had hair, cut in an odd style with one side considerably longer than the other, almost as though it was to match the cut of his cloak, and it was dark red in color. The cloak he wore was emerald green with black fringes and only draped over his right shoulder, the rest he had swung around over his back to leave his left hand free. Beneath that, Damian wore a rich blue robe. The only thing that Chel could see that was visibly different, was his ears. They were conical in shape and angled directly out from his head instead of against it.

As Chel followed Lexx up onto the shore, she also noted the dog like creature that was running circles around a palm tree. It was making an odd noise, not very loud at all. It was probably Damian's dice, she assumed. Damian approached Lexx quickly once he was on the dry sand. This alien apparently wasn't fond of getting his feet wet.

"Nice place! Very nice, Shira Lexx! Mind if I stay for awhile?" Damian spoke quickly as Lexx walked right by him. He had a very noticeable accent and a voice that was much higher pitched than Chel had thought it would be.

Lexx kept walking. He was annoyed. "I couldn't ask you to leave, could I?" Damian just had to show up. It wasn't that the alien was unfriendly or taunted him, more that he just always wanted to be wherever Lexx was. He'd been this way since Lexx had met him on his first game. For some reason, Damian was attracted to him and he couldn't figure out why, nor really wanted to know. Damian was overly friendly and one of those aliens who made a lot of physical contact while talking to anyone, even if they'd just met them. Lexx had learned the best way to avoid that, was to simply keep moving.

"I was surprised to pick you up on my scanner,… so thought you could use some company and cast my dice." Damian stepped in front of Lexx to make him stop walking, then blinked. He had been concentrating so much on getting and keeping Lexx's attention, he hadn't really gotten a good look at the girl with him. The human girl. He had thought he was out in the bay with one of his dice, but this was an interesting turn of events. "Hello!" He greeted Chel cheerily, looking over Lexx's shoulder, then looking back at Lexx. "Picking up a native girl, Lexx? Didn't think you were into that,…"

Lexx felt his face immediately burn. He glared up at Damian and started to open his mouth to respond, but Damian kept on talking.

"Wait! This is your actual home world, isn't it?!" Damian blurted out the words and each one sent a tendril of ice through Lexx's back, prickling and sticking like daggers.

"Damian! No!" Lexx smacked his forehead with his hand. He would have done well for Chel not to hear that and deeply hoped that Damian had spoken too quickly for her to catch the comment. Lexx decided not to acknowledge it. "I am not picking her up! She owns one of my dice and won't go until I give it back at the end of the game!"

Behind him, Chel gaped. Did she hear that right? She stared at Lexx's scarred back, just looking at him. That wasn't something she'd expected to hear, but it explained a lot,… and opened up an entirely new realm of questions.

"Really now?" Damian took the new trail and ran with it, in the wrong direction. "You have a lot to learn about females, Lexx! You should be taking advantage of having a girl all to yourself!" He smiled at Chel again, obviously not meaning anything along the lines of what his words belied.

Lexx took a deep breath and stated as clearly as he could, "She,.. is not mine."

"Oh, come on, Lexx…" Before he could move out of the way, Damian had his arm over Lexx's shoulder and had pulled him to his side. Lexx squirmed to get away, but it was like fighting a band of iron. Damian turned his attention more fully to Chel, holding out his right hand. "I'm sorry,… allow me to introduce myself! I am Damian Cera Taosh Yirakosa, Alien Dice champion of the old school,.. at your service,.. beck… call, whatever." He was captivated. The human girl had such an interesting shade of color to her hair. The lack of ears would take getting used to, but otherwise, she fit quite well into Damian's thoughts of beauty. "Your name would be?"

Chel stared a moment. His enthusiasm was almost frightening. "Chel,.. Everyone calls me Chel." She stated uncertainly, holding out her hand expecting to shake hands. She did think it was odd that such a human gesture was common in space.

Damian had other ideas. He took a step forward, let Lexx go and took Chel's hand by the wrist. "Such a beautiful name." Holding Chel's hand, he walked around her, forcing her to turn or have her arm ripped off. Lexx stared and moved aside. Stupid Damian. What did he think he was doing?

"And such soft beautiful skin,.. hands,.. fingers." Damian knelt, clasping both of his hands around Chel's and kissing her hand. His hold lingered longer than Chel was comfortable with and seemed a bit more personal than she liked. As soon as he let go, she moved closer to Lexx, her eyes wide in shock and speechlessness.

Lexx glanced from one to the other. Maybe he could get Damian to take her with him or something and be rid of both of them.

Damian's dice continued running and barking up the palm tree, which Fly and Stealth were still trapped in. From there, they could see the shore and Zeta cowering in the grass out of site of anything on the beach. They were going to be stuck up here for a while. Fly perked up his round ears and turned to Stealth, considering a plan, "I have an idea, Stealth,… I think it'll work!"

"Yeah?" Stealth hissed sarcastically, "Going to sacrifice yourself to that beast so I can get down?" She was unconvinced of Fly's ability to come up with a workable plan. If she couldn't come up with a plan, than the featherbrained fly dice definitely couldn't.

Fly sniffed and hopped down onto the coconuts nearer the trunk of the tree. He started chewing through the base of one of them, pausing every few minutes to spit out a mouthful of fibers, "No,.. I'll drop this coconut as a distraction,.. then, we'll make a break for it!"

Stealth just looked at Fly. What a stupid idea. She wasn't even going to bother saying how stupid it was. "Why don't you just … fly?"

"I can't at this level, you know that, Stealth!" Fly continued chewing through the coconut and with a snap it came loose. It tumbled through the air, right at the dog like creature at the base of the tree. Then, without a second of hesitation, the dog jumped and caught the coconut in her jaws, crushing it in one bite. Bits and pieces of coconut flew as she ravaged the rest of it, then immediately resumed barking up the tree.

The entire action had taken only five seconds. Fly fluffed up in shock that it'd been that quick.

"After you." Stealth purred in a condescending tone, proven right once again.

Damian, Chel and Lexx walked further up onto the beach, Chel untucking her shirt and wringing out water where she could. It was a futile effort. The shirt was soaked, as were her jeans and anyone who has worn wet jeans knows how stiff and clingy they get when wet.

"Here, let me help you with that." Damian offered cheerfully reaching into a pocket on the inside of his cloak. "I always come prepared."

"Uhm…" To say that Chel was wary, was an understatement. Damian was just a bit too invasive and didn't seem to realize that he was. Lexx didn't seem to hear the conversation, head down and trudging ahead to where he assumed Damian was going. Up to the trees where he'd left his ship. He didn't have to, but knowing Damian, he'd better just do what he wanted. It did little good to tell Damian No. Lexx had quickly discovered that you couldn't debate anything with this alien.

Damian removed a small oblong device that closely resembled a TV remote to Chel. "You never know when you're in need of such gadgets." He smiled and pointed it at Chel. A golden light emanated from the end of the device, spreading out in a small array. "Close your eyes." Damian warned, stroking the light down. Chel squeezed her eyes shut and felt tingling warmth that gave her goose bumps pass over her. In one pass, she was dry.

"Wow…" Chel patted the shirt.

"Here," Damian tossed the device at her. "Everyone should have one, has lots of interesting options, mainly for doing your hair, but it can be adapted for other purposes,… like drying your clothes."

Chel blinked, catching it and turning it over in her hands. "Thank you, Damian." She stared at it. It had a small color screen with a pictoral menu on it. That was good,… and interesting. Damian wasn't so bad afterall. What was Lexx's problem with him.

"Damian…" Lexx growled, "Should you be giving things like that to humans?"

Damian shrugged, striding pas Lexx and into the ship. "What harm is there in a personal grooming device, Lexx? I know you carry one around. We ALL know how vain you are about your appearance."

"I am NOT vain!" Lexx raised his voice, his face flushing a slight red, which came across more as purple beneath his blue skin.

"Are you hungry? I took the liberty to bring down a few things." Damian spoke from inside the ship, accompanied by the sounds of things being moved.

"Zeta hungry!" The little dice had been silent up until the mention of food. He swished his tail eagerly and cocked his head. "Zeta hungry!"

"You're always hungry." Lexx muttered, taking a seat on a nearby rock to sulk.

Chel quietly sat next to him, scrolling through the options on the grooming device. "Zeta… come here." She grinned. Zeta bounced forward, thinking he was going to get a treat. Instead, he was met with a green light which made all the fine fur on his head and neck stick out straight in a fuzz.

"Zeta stood there a moment, blinking as Chel's face broke out into a broad grin and then an amused giggle. Lexx sniffed, determined to be in a bad mood despite how comical the sallomandyr looked.

"What… what?" Zeta didn't seem to realize what had happened.

"I could have fun with this." Chel grinned holding it up, for a moment. Lexx reached out and grabbed the remote, throwing it aside with enough force to bounce it off a rock and into the high grass on the other side of the rocks they were sitting on.

"You should not have that. You're a human." Lexx grated, folding his arms and glaring at the ground.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Chel stood up and glared at Lexx. "I think Damian just commented that YOU are really a human. Would you care to explain that?"

"No." Lexx didn't look at her, closing his eyes and lifting his head with an air of disdain.

"He said this is your home world, what are you, an elf?" Chel persisted, just to annoy Lexx. He was starting to bug her with these rapid mood swings. "A dark elf, that's what you look like, just like on that Evermore game!"

"I am NOT an elf." Lexx snorted.

Damian stepped off the ship at that point, holding a large ornately designed case. He'd heard most of the conversation from inside and was more than obligatory to explain. He loved to talk and show off what he knew and he quite liked the human. She was pretty, short,… but pretty. "While there are many truths to Earth mythologies concerning gods, elves, fairies and strange creatures that were in reality visiting aliens,.. Lexx is not one of them."

"Damian… don't." Lexx started up in protest, feeling an uncomfortable prickling sensation in his throat. She did not need to know this. This was not something any human should know.

"Lexx,… Lexx… you worry too much." Damian placed the case down, flipping a latch and opening it. He pulled out a couple of large pieces of cloth and placed one on the rock near Lexx and Chel for him to sit on. Then another beside him to start laying out small packages and a pitcher of sorts. "Lexx is genetically a human,… aside from the physical differences. You two could have kids with no problems! Lots of them! I could tell you some other interesting differences between Rishan men and Human men!"

"Damian! Don't you dare!" Lexx seemed to get more irate with each word that was being spoken. Was Damian purposely trying to make things tense between Chel and he? That's all he needed, Chel with a deeper understanding of Rishan anatomy. It was unnecessary. "I mean it, Damian!"

Damian looked at Lexx, "I guess going into detail wouldn't be proper in front of a lady, but I'm sure she'd appreciate an explanation of why you look the way you do." Lexx was silent, glaring at Damian with an icy expression. He wouldn't say yes or no to that, but at least he wasn't going to go into detail.

Chel sat back down, accepting an offered cup from Damian. "Do you want to know, Chel?" He asked, pouring another glass for Lexx.

"Yes." She didn't hesitate, just because it seemed to irritate Lexx and she really was curious.

Lexx held up his hand without saying a thing to reject the offered drink from Damian. He was mad, very mad and being offered things while being angry from the source of that anger did not make him any happier.

"Couple hundred years ago, a group of slave traders thought they'd bypass Galactic Laws in a creative way." Damian unwrapped a small loaf of something and offered it to Chel to go with her drink. "You see, ownership of another sentient being is illegal, Chel. These traders set out to engineer a race of slaves,… because if you create something from things you own, then technically, you can own it. The law was perfect, because no-one has been able to create sentient life from scratch, at least at that time. You'll note that the dice are moderately sentient and we do own them, but while they are self aware they are incapable of caring for themselves any more than a pet. They're dependent.

Anyway, back to the Rishan, just thought I'd explain why it is that slavery's illegal, yet we have apparently sentient dice. These slavers abducted a large number of women from this planet, harvested their eggs and altered the eggs at the genetic level. I'm sure you know enough about your own genetics that just a mere altering at a somatic level would not do anything more than change the appearance of the one that was modified. It would not be passed on to future generations. By using eggs, they could make a race that could save them money in the manufacturing of more slaves in the future, they could be bred.

The final appearance is what Lexx looks like. The blue skin is standard, really an easy manipulation of pigment, hair ranges from white to black with shades of blue, eyes are brown to orange, although that trait seems to be changing in current generations. There are now blue and green eyed Rishan." Damian rambled on, obviously enjoying the opportunity to talk. " Really doesn't make a difference in how they see. Pointy ears, no idea why they gave them pointy ears and then there's the other really weird thing the slavers did to the males, not really sure why. It's suspected because they wanted to make them possible sex to-."

"DAMIAN!" Lexx interjected. "Do NOT go into that. That is unnecessary!" Lexx's livid tone worked, Damian didn't miss a beat in continuing with the story.

"Because the Rishan in their final appearance did not resemble any existing race and did not come from a planet, they were classified as a created slave race. After a generation had passed and the slavers were certain that the traits passed on perfectly, they began selling them for all manner of services. Mostly as servants to do things nobody else wanted to do. They were a status symbol in the beginning because they were rare, then, they were created by the thousands in ways that were very cruel. For the first several generations, no child was born naturally. All eggs were harvested for mass production. In the labs, they had complete control over the final appearance and fertile females were not available, only male Rishan were sold.

When the mass production was no longer necessary and the original slavers thought they had a pure line of revenue, private breeders acquired females and started their own breeding, then public breeding was allowed.

Beings like us, two eyes, arms, legs, bipedal with our features and attributes are very rare in comparison to the majority of alien species, so when another hundred years had passed, babies started to be born with pink, tan, red, yellow and black skin… throwbacks to their human genetics. It turns out that it was easier to suppress and substitute these attributes in the genetic code and it was done that way. The information is still there, it's just … recessed.

The anomalies were tested by the Galactic Consol and compared to existing races and it was then, the truth was revealed. Rishan are human. Records were confiscated and it was proven without a doubt. The slaves were ordered freed from servitude and those that looked passably human were brought back to Earth. The others, like Lexx's parents and grandparents took to living on space stations as their world. They can't come to Earth and live and they are generally unwelcome on other worlds fearing an influx of uneducated 'slave' refugees.

It's been a long time since they were slaves, but most races consider the Risha to be an unnecessary plague that they are more than happy to see go extinct." Damian lowered his tone. As much as he liked to talk and as excited as he got while telling someone something, he really did see the treatment the Risha received as unjust. "You see, Chel… they don't live well in the old space station. Nobody wants to assist them and their numbers are dwindling every generation. They need a planet with natural gravity for where they lived, or at least.. upgraded space stations and help.

It's a very unkind universe and that… is why Lexx is in the position he's in, which I'm sure you know about."

"I'm.. beginning to feel a headache coming on,.." Lexx murmured, rubbing his hand over his face. He'd heard it before, but to hear it again and in the presence of a human made him feel weird and mixed inside. One side of him, stated it was good for her to know. She would perhaps treat him like a human and not an alien. The other side, only pointed out how much of a freak he was in front of a pure human. That part of him, the part that sought acceptance in such a human desire, tore deeply instead of mended. He didn't see a reason why she would want anything more to do with him with that story. Why did he care? He stopped himself in his thoughts. Why did he care what she thought? He shouldn't care. He wanted her to go away, really badly and the more he wanted her to care, the more he wanted her to go away.

"Damian…" Lexx breathed slowly, trying to contain his anger. "You have a big mouth."

"But it is completely true!" Damian tipped his glass, looking at Lexx out of the corner of his eyes.

"I know that!" Lexx snapped. "She didn't have to know how much more of a freak I am."

Chel glared at Lexx, "Hello,… I'm sitting right here."

"Zeta here too! Why say here?" The little sallomandyr cocked his head, clambering onto Chel's lap.

Damian smiled cheerfully, setting down the glass, and stated without missing a beat, "If it is any consolation, I think you're quite handsome, Lexx."

Lexx sunk down into his coat, staring at Damian. For a moment, he simply fumed, then he retorted, "That's not any consolation…." He shivered in discomfort, "That frightens me!"

"Oh, come on! I'm just kidding!" Damian stood and patted Lexx on the shoulder, bringing out an immediately cringe from Lexx, right against Chel. "You should really lighten up, Lexx." Damian whistled and called out to his dice, "Hey, Fluffy! Leave those two alone! Come here and say hi!"

The crimson and white creature yerfed one more time at the palm tree, then spun on her heels to answer her master. Up in the tree, Stealth and Fly breathed sighs of relief. Now, they were free to climb down and not be slobbered on mercilessly. That's all Fluffy liked to do, drool on them with an overabundance of affection.

Then there was the familiar warmth that rippled through their fur coats. Both Fly and Stealth returned to their current levels, getting a little bit larger and Stealth gaining a second tail. How annoying. Fly lifted his head and wailed, "Right when she leaves!"

"Never too late, Fly." Stealth hissed, "Let's just get down there and back to Lexx and Chel. They won't let her slobber on us."

Fly jumped from the palm tree, "Only if you're on Chel's shoulders! Lexx could care less!"

"Hey, wait a minute, Chel is MY human!" Stealth spat, dropping from the palm into the soft sand before. Fly was going to beat her, easy. She laid her ears back and ran anyway, forced to hop as her paws sank into the sand.

Lexx shifted away from Chel, his skin taking on a pale glow and sparkling. Chel's eyes widened. "What is that?" She blurted.

"What?!" Lexx growled, knowing full well what it was and not really wanting to acknowledge it.

"You're glowing!" Chel stared at Lexx, openmouthed.

"Oh! Lexx rolled!" Damian piped up, always happy to answer any question, even if it wasn't directed at him. "What level are you at, Lexx, and what did you just get?"

"Side 6,… Speed." Lexx grumbled his reply.

At about that moment, Fluffy reached them and plopped her paws up on the rock between Chel and Lexx, tilting her head and in one motion swinging her head, pink tongue hitting both of them in excitement. Chel giggled and tried to push the 'dog' away, "So.. what was Fluffy?" She decided to be considerate and let the subject drop on Lexx's 'condition'. Lexx didn't say a word, just letting the animal lick him and setting his jaw to the torment.

Damian grabbed Fluffy around the neck with both arms, "She's a stealth dice, I think she landed on something you call a stilt legged Fox. Her original base is a Kiya from Zadoon!" And then.. Damian brought out the most horrible thing that Lexx could imagine, his holo projector. A very fluffy creature with two legs, a pair of huge black ears and a plumed tail bounced through the air in front of Chel.

"Cool!" Chel squealed in excitement. Damian was definitely a lot more fun than and social than Lexx, even if a little too excessive in his desire to invade everyone's personal space.

"You like that, look at these! I have a set of 75 dice myself, grand master set! I add five every year for variety." Damian was thrilled to be able to talk about the game with someone who knew nothing about it. Lexx simply faded into his thoughts as the two spoke. The last thing he wanted to do was sit here and look at the slide show of Damian's dice, his world, his ship.. and most likely there were shots of Lexx among those reels in the holograph.

Fly landed lightly on Chel's shoulder, taking up residence up there with a flick of his tail and rubbing his head against Chel's cheek. He chrrrd, then looked back at Stealth, trudging through the sand. Chel smiled at the squirrel, unaware of the response it got from Stealth. She flattened her ears back as far as they would go and glared at Fly, hopping up onto the rock between Chel and Lexx. She flopped down, settling to glare at the squirrel, sending him mental threats of harm. Fly ignored her, confident of being safe on Chel's shoulder.

Lexx stared at the ground the entire time, thinking and trying to keep the cat out of his head. That was the problem with the stealth dice. One of her abilities was to speak without being heard and right now, she was using a choice string of words toward Lexx. 'Stealth, shut up. Stop it… don't pry in there!' Lexx could see her skulking about in his thoughts. 'If you're that bored, go chase something, leave me alone.'

The cat blinked her large golden green eyes and tilted her head in his mind's eye. 'It's more entertaining in here.'

'I don't want you in here. I don't want YOU in here either, beat it, Damian.'

Damian went on speaking vocally, his thoughts elsewhere. Stealth wasn't the only one who could speak this way. It was merely a way of speaking that Damian's people were well learned in. He appeared out of nowhere in Lexx's thoughts, something like a book in hand. 'If you didn't want me in here, you'd cut the link, now wouldn't you?" He spoke as cheerfully as usual, thumbing through the book.

'Damian…" Lexx sighed internally. He knew the value of leaving all links open in case of an emergency, but he was sorely tempted to think Damian's link closed so he couldn't mill around in his thoughts. 'You shouldn't be telling Chel everything you know.'

'Not like she won't see it with you?" Damian held up the book, 'Oh, now this is a very … very interesting image, Lexx. She's cute when she sleeps? You filed it away under things that make you smile… small file, but I quite agree, her ears are strange, but she passes for attractive physically and best of all, she's a listener! See how she's paying attention to me?"

Stealth chuckled, hopping up onto Damian's shoulder in Lexx's thoughts, 'I knew it!'

'Both of you, out!' Lexx snarled internally, setting up a temporary block. Visualizing it by closing doors and locking them out. Daydreaming was just as dangerous as really dreaming. They could get back in and poke around if they wanted to and that was how Stealth knew so much about him. She had all the time in the world to prowl through the alleys of Lexx's mind, but when he was awake, it was easy to push them out.

Several hours later, Damian had just finished his fifth year reel and was reaching for a small disk to start his sixth year when Lexx noted the sun was beginning to set, "It's getting late, we should return to the Rift, Chel." He stood up and reached into his pocket for the transporter device.

Chel stood, stretching, "But the sun's about to set! I've never seen the sun set over an ocean before!"

"If she doesn't want to go, I'll stay here and watch the sunset with her!" Damian was quite happy to oblige in that service and added, "Then take her back to my ship!"

'No! Lexxxx!!' Chel gave Lexx a frightened look. The last thing she wanted was to be left alone with Damian,… in the dark. She didn't have to speak it, Lexx turned his head in surprise, uttering a mental curse. Chel had not said a word, her mouth was clenched and Damian obviously hadn't heard it, or he'd have backed off.

"Damian, I'll stay,… then we'll leave after the sun sets," Lexx was uncertain on what else to do. "She's my responsibility." Maybe it was just a fluke, a one time projection brought on by just how much Chel didn't want to be left here with Damian. He started walking to the small hill that overlooked the ocean so they could sit in the grass. Chel followed immediately behind him, Fly still on her shoulder, the other dice crowded around their feet.

'More trouble than she's worth,…' Lexx stared sullenly out across the ocean as the colors intensified. He worried that if she could project, she might also be able to pick up his more intense thoughts and he'd had a lot of them over the last few days. Lexx was actually concerned about it. It would be a shock to her and he wouldn't know how to explain it in a way she could understand. Humans, normal Earth born humans did not have that part of their brains unlocked to be used.

Lexx couldn't get it out of his mind. An hour later after returning to his ship and eating a quick dinner, he was working his headache up again. He sat on the couch in his main room, Zeta sitting next to him with his head resting on his knees. Chel didn't act any differently. She seemed quite happy and more comfortable around Lexx than he thought she should've been. She wasn't reacting like he'd thought she would. He'd hoped she'd want to go home, but she seemed persistent about remaining on the ship. Why? He kept asking himself that over and over again. Her behavior was truly troubling him.

"Lexx, I had a good time today." Chel let her presence be known, standing near the end of the couch with Fly wrapped around her shoulders. The squirrel seemed to really like it there and Lexx noted that something was going on between him and Stealth. The cat was sulking more than usual.

"I'm sorry Damian showed up."

"Don't be, I thought he was interesting."

"At my expense." Lexx scowled, rubbing his forehead. He couldn't help it, his mind swung violently to one side, immediately grasping at the most probable answer to his own question, "He only shows up to irritate me,…" Lexx stumbled slightly in his words, "Because he feels sorry for me. I don't need his pity…" He paused and in a vicious tone added, "And I don't need yours. Leave me alone. Go to bed."

Chel stood there, speechless. She thought things were better today and now Lexx was back to being angry at her. She turned away silently, walking to the doors that lead to the sleeping area. Zeta hopped off the couch and darted ahead. "Is he always this moody?" Chel whispered to Fly as she stepped through the doors.

Zeta overheard, turning his head and stating matter of factly, "Zeta think Lexx likes Chel!" He hopped up onto the bed, where Stealth had already claimed her spot. The cat hissed and swiped at him, sending him to the other end of the bed. He didn't stay there for long, grabbing Chel's pillow, which was inexplicably … damp. He shook it and drug it down to the end Stealth was laying on, hitting her with it on accident. He was a little too eager to be helpful.

Chel looked at the two dice on the bed, Fly crawling down onto her arm and leaping onto the bed to join them. What Zeta had said caught her off guard. Lexx likes her? He didn't seem to have any use for her other than to be angry at her. Although, it did seem that his anger was forced, like he was looking for something to be mad about and then he clung to it until it ran out. He'd been silent most of the day, because of Damian. Chel could understand why he was so upset about the story and his origins. He was human and he'd come to Earth to see home, that was all. How would she feel if she'd never seen Earth before and it was home,.. and she wasn't welcome there. She did feel sorry for Lexx.

He seemed to lost to her, but too thick headed to ask for directions or help.

Chel shook off the thoughts. It was late and she was tired and right now, she realized that there wasn't much room for her with the three dice sitting on the bed looking at her expectantly. Just like a normal pet. Stealth as Mittens had often slept on her bed. Zeta had apparently developed some sort of liking for Chel to the point of wanting to hang around her, and Fly, well,.. Chel didn't really understand the squirrel. He whispered a lot of interesting comments in her ear about Zeta, Stealth and Lexx, random things that were amusing.

Zeta patted the pillow with his forepaws again, "Chel sleep right here!" He obviously wasn't taking into consideration that Chel would not fit on the pillow. "Sorry wet! Skate want sleep in bed too, until Zeta make her go to 'quary-um!" He'd had a struggle in convincing her to leave earlier and had hoped an hour of time would be enough for the pillow to dry.

Smiling, Chel sat on the edge of the bed. "How about,.. you three get off the bed and let me in first, then you can sleep wherever you want to,.. Maybe you can find me a dry pillow, Zeta?" She tried to be polite, the entire time thinking, 'I can't believe I'm even having this conversation with these three. My cat,.. a miniature fire breathing dragon and a squirrel that likes being held more than Stealth ever did as Mittens…"

"Zeta do better! Zeta FIX! Zeta good Drier!" He squealed happily. Finally, something he could do! He sat up and chuckled, a wisp of smoke starting to stream out of the corner of his mouth.

"Zeta,.. fabric burns." Stealth pointed out, giving the sallomandyr a condescending look out of the corner of her green eyes. "Don't even consider it."

Zeta sniffed and lowered his head, "Zeta just want help!"

Stealth lifted a paw, motioning to one of the compartments beneath Lexx's bed, "Just go toss that one in the cleaner chute and get another pillow. You know how Lexx is if you mess up his things." Zeta's crown went flat against his head and he nodded.

"Lexx can be such a jerk." Fly squeaked, rolling on the bed as Zeta hopped off and drug the pillow to the bathroom. The little squirrel bounced about playfully as Chel unfolded the blanket laying next to her. Stealth sniffed disdainfully at the display.

"Not all the time." Chel stood up and flung the blanket over the bed, nevermind that Stealth and Fly were still on the bed.

Stealth didn't wait for the blanket to fall, darting underneath of it and pouncing on the first part that fell, while Fly continued to jump up and down. Apparently, the cat had more than just a few of Mitten's behaviours. Chel giggled and flicked her wrists, popping the blanket up again and watching the cat and squirrel bouncing about rolling in the folds.

"That is why I .. said, can be!!" Fly misgauged a jump and smacked into the back wall.

"Haha,… should look where you're going!" Stealth purred, rolling onto her back as the blanket settled on her.

Chel pulled the blanket back halfway, letting Fly and Stealth out from under it, then she sat down again, watching Zeta work with the panel beneath Lexx's bed. He had it halfway open and was trying to fit his head into the opening to get a pillow,.. without the door sliding back shut on him. Chel watched quietly, thinking.

Stealth sat next to Chel, looking up at her. She blinked once, then turned her gaze toward Zeta, "Is there something wrong, Chel?" Zeta growled in frustration, one forefoot on the bottom of the panel railing, the other on the panel itself. Slowly, he stuck his head into the opening and grabbed the end of a pillow in his jaws.

"I don't know why I'm here." Chel studied her hands, not wanting to look at Stealth. She was her cat. She had been her cat. "I can't figure out why I'm still here. I'm not supposed to be here. I should be back home."

"What about me? You said that you wouldn't leave without me." Stealth pointed out, still staring at Chel in that manner that cats do.

Fly leapt up onto Chel's shoulder and curled his tail around her neck, trying to look at the girl, "Hey, wait a minute! You won't leave without Stealth?! What about me? You would leave me up here alone with Lexx! He's not nearly as good of a perch!"

Zeta had the pillow halfway out and enough so that the panel wouldn't close on it. He let go to look back and blink, only catching half of the conversation, "Chel leaving?!"

"I didn't say I was." Chel murmered. "It's just that what business do I really have here? Lexx said that he'd give you to me when the game was over." She rubbed the cat between the ears, only to get a stinging slap and a very perturbed look from the cat. "Hey!" Chel blinked, looking at her hand and noting a set of four reddening claw marks.

"Chel,… you can't leave." Stealth seemed to be having a bit of a problem, panting with her eyes wide and ears laid flat against her head. Her twin tails twitched uncontrollably. "Please, you can't…"

"Why not? Would Lexx do something to you?"

"No!" Fly blinked at Stealth himself, surprised that she'd actually struck Chel. His fur ruffled and he glared at the cat. "Lexx has always been very good to us. I complain,… but Lexx has never hurt us. He feeds us well, plays with us when he has time and talks to us,… Stealth?" Zeta pulled the pillow over to the bed, tossing it onto the bed with a jerk of his neck, then following, laying down with his head on it. He was perplexed. He wasn't sure what was going on, but the air in here had taken on a heavy weight.

Stealth was trembling, her fur sticking out in all directions. "Chel, you need to know this. Out of all the dice, I'm the only one who knows all the rules. I know them because it's my nature to want to know things. If Lexx wins, yes, he can give me back to you, and he will. He has no reason to keep me if I want to leave and I'm just one less creature to have to watch, but.. if Lexx loses. What do you think happens to dice when their player loses, a player who either dies or is captured?"

"You're set free?" It was all Chel could think of.

"No." Stealth bristled further and hissed. "We are destroyed. We're either wiped and recycled or simply, destroyed. We can try to escape, but they will kill us. There's an entire section of the ADC that is devoted to destroying rogue dice. Dice that refuse to go by the rules."

"Oh,.." Chel frowned.

"That is, unless someone steps forward to claim us and responsibility for us." Stealth continued, "You can do that, if Lexx loses."

Zeta lifted his head and interjected angrily, "Lexx not lose! Lexx always win! You talk stupid fake talk, Stealth!"

"Zeta, shut up." Stealth snapped, "You don't know that! He could lose and if he does, we are all going to DIE! And I don't know about you, but I do NOT want to die!" Zeta went completely quiet.

Chel felt Fly sink his claws into her shoulder, tensing up at the information, but he said nothing. What had she gotten herself into? Why did she keep asking that same question. She knew that the instant she'd decided to go with Lexx she didn't have any control over what could happen, but she hadn't thought far enough ahead. Regret began to fill her thoughts and weigh heavily on her. Zeta looked very upset and confused, Stealth and Fly understood and were both terrified. This was real.

She'd felt sorry for Lexx because of his situation and had not even considered what the dice were going through. Again, she had not seen what was really around her. Stealth began speaking again, looking directly at Chel, "At first,.. I didn't want you involved in this Chel, I was hoping you'd go home, but now,.. now, I am asking you to please stay in case it happens. Claim us as yours, all of us."

Chel stared at Stealth, "How?"

Stealth shook her head, "I'll tell you when the time comes, if it does, but please, don't leave. Not until it's over." Stealth looked away and added, "I… didn't even think about that fact until Lexx had that last battle. There's something going on that we're not aware of. The challenger showed up way too early,…"

Chel sighed. She was already here, but what was she going to do with the trio if it came down to her getting them and … the thought of Lexx being killed really hit her hard. Harder than when he'd first told her that was his life. "I can't say yes or no to that, Stealth,.. I'm sorry, not right now. What if Lexx decides to just take me home and leave me there? I'd have no control over it."

The cat was silent, then looked back up at Chel, "Stay with us as long as you can then and if it happens, claim us and take us with you. That I suppose, is all that we can ask?"

Chel nodded, "Ok,.. I'll stay as long as I can, but Stealth, I have to go home at some point, you know that."

"I know, but we'll be done well before that time." Stealth seemed relieved. Just a few weeks. That's all it'd take as long as they kept up the pace. "Thank you, Chel… I'm sorry for scratching you." The cat frowned, her whiskers turning down and eyes looking up imploring for forgiveness.

"Heh, it's fine." Chel started to undress, placing Fly on the bed and pulling her shirt over her head, "You scratched me worse than that as a normal kitten and didn't even bother to apologize!" Fly hopped to the end of the bed.

"Chel,… watch Zeta if Lexx not able to?" He had comprehended that part of the conversation and sat up. He looked greatly troubled. "Zeta not want Lexx be hurt. Want know if Chel watch Lexx if Zeta not able help Lexx?

Chel rubbed her eyes, a bit affected by the child like tone in Zeta's voice, "Yes, I will." She couldn't imagine Lexx being that hurt. He'd recovered very quickly from being shot and being in that last battle. Hopefully, it wouldn't come down to that, but for Zeta she had decided she'd do it.

"That good!" Zeta seemed cheered up by that. "Lexx need someone watch Lexx! Not have anyone watch him like Lexx watch Zeta!" Chel began to wonder,… if watching meant something a little different than what Zeta thought it meant, since Zeta seemed to be the dice that Lexx liked the most. She'd heard Lexx apologizing to the little creature, petting him and giving him an extra treat to make up for being mad at him.

"Yeah,.. now, do you mind. I feel funny dressing in front of a bunch of animals that can talk." Chel smirked at the trio and headed for the bathroom to put on the long t-shirt she'd set aside to sleep in.

Several hours later, the lights were out in the sleeping area and Chel was sound asleep. At her head, Stealth was curled up in her favorite place, and at her side, Zeta was sprawled out on top of the blanket. Fly was curled up on top of Zeta's back.

Lexx stood in the darkness, having just removed the pillow and blanket folded up on his bed. His expression was blank, simply looking and feeling something he didn't fully understand, envy? For a brief moment, he was jealous of the dice. They were only simple animals and as simple animals, felt it find to invite themselves into Chel's bed and get so close.

It bothered Lexx. Especially that Zeta was laying on Chel's bed instead of out on the couch with him. It was always nice to have the dumb animal sleeping at his feet or nearby. That dice was the closest thing he had to a friend or any type of companionship he had or wanted out here and now,… he was sleeping on the human girl's bed. She had stolen Lexx's comfort.

"I envy the stupid dice,…" Lexx murmured to himself, stepping out of the room with that acknowledgement. It wasn't that HE wanted to hop into bed with Chel,… well, admittedly, maybe he did. He was only Rishan, only human, but that would not be something he'd ever choose to do. It just wouldn't be in his nature to decide to do that. He was a gentleman, even if he didn't particularly like the girl and had treated her in less than nice ways. Now, these things troubled him. They hadn't while he was doing them, but now he had time to think about it. He'd been cruel and didn't know why.

Lexx closed the door behind him and tossed the blanket and pillow onto the couch. Now, he was completely alone. Alone again to his thoughts. He preferred to have things to do or think about so he wouldn't be able to think, really think. Thinking was depressing. He lifted the panel concealing his collection of book plates and selected one. He'd read. He loved to read and it was always a good distraction.

Damian just had to show up and talk. It's bad enough that the girl is still here,.. but now she knows. The thought passed through the Rishan's head, as he unfolded the blanket and made himself comfortable on the couch. I have got to get ahold of myself. He attempted to break the thought pattern that was beginning to form. This is bad, very bad. I'm upset with myself that I have no control.

Lexx turned on the plate and watched the introductory bit of animation. I have to wonder if the nanos have anything to do with it. They fix things, but they never do anything to adjust what I'm feeling. They don't even register any shifts in my body when I start feeling down. I almost hit Chel.

What did they do to me? I almost didn't care if I did. That is not like me. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to live. My father was not like that. He never hit my mother out of anger. His thoughts were scattered, jumping and interjecting one another as he sorted his way through them, losing his concentration on the book. It was too late.

I couldn't help it.

I couldn't help it.

I'm so weak when I'm angry.

Just a few weeks,.. a few weeks and I'll be free,.. one way or another. I don't want to die,… I really don't want to, no matter how many times I've tried to kill myself. It's all I could do. It seemed my only way out. Everything is so hopeless. I'm amazed I made it this far, but it's wearing on me. I feel the stress. The nanos try to erase the physical, but they can't fix mental and emotional affects. I am so tired.

I want to live.

I want to die.

I don't want to have to decide.

….

And then, what am I left with,.. if I survive? If I die, there is that sweet surrender I know I'll get, but there must be more to this,.. I want to actually know life. This isn't life. I want to know life. I really do! But what life is there for me anyway in this universe?

Lexx stared at the plate, his own reflection. Yes, he was vain to a degree. It was just how he was because nobody else took interest in him. Someone had to. He didn't look that bad, actually, he thought he looked very good and decently attractive. He had good hair. Very good hair. His mind went blank as he ran a hand through his good hair. He'd have to try something new tomorrow and see what kind of reaction it got from Chel,… now that was an odd thought. Why would he care what she thought about his hair? She probably wouldn't even notice if he did something different.

Then again, Chel! There's a possibility. She was on the ship and she wasn't going anywhere, of course, he should probably be a little nicer to her. … what was he thinking about?! That wasn't what he wanted. She was a distraction! Who was he fooling? He liked her. She had her annoying points, but she wasn't that bad,.. and there was one other thing. It was either he or Stealth who contaminated her mind.

He'd caught a few other loud remarks coming from her, relief that Lexx hadn't left her with Damian, a silent thank you, and gratitude for seeing the sunset. It was always an interesting thing to be sensitive to others emotions, although, in Damian's case, he was still way too touchy for Lexx's liking. There was also the aspect that at times, he sensed that Damian had more than just being friends and helpful in mind. No matter what, Lexx was responsible for exposing Chel to something she wouldn't be prepared to handle.

Lexx wasn't fully sure how it had happened. He didn't even know it was possible with humans. Maybe there'd been some trigger that had opened at least a small part of Chel's potential. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be aware that Lexx could hear her. He'd have to ask Stealth later if she'd been doing anything.

There was just one more problem, if he could hear Chel now,.. how far would it advance? Normally, a link would get stronger the more it's used and the closer distance wise a pair of equipped dice players were. Would she be able to hear him? He really hoped she couldn't hear him.

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