Lexx managed to get a few hours of shallow sleep before resigning himself to getting up and researching the next dice he would be going after in the morning and the best strategy. ADIS had informed him it was the Dig dice. This one tended to be excessively hot headed and wasn't going to be one that Lexx would allow to wander freely in the living area of the ship.
While everyone else slept, Lexx checked on the biosphere's current condition from the small corridor that lead to its main entrance. The Rift was not made for comfort, but utility. Fortunately, Lexx didn't need a lot so that the main living area was not cluttered. There were five sections to it. The living area, which was the largest area, containing the partitioned food preparation area, eating and relaxation area, then the sleeping quarters, outfitted for four and the cleaning room. This made up the top layer. From here, one could get to any of the other three sections.
The biosphere was barely a quarter the size of the living area, half full of water with an 'island' of sorts of dry land and earth. There was a little bit of foliage inside that Lexx had himself picked out and tended from seedlings over the years. It was a relaxing place to be when one didn't want to be bothered, although,.. its actual intent was merely a place to keep dice to let them stretch their legs or swim. Keeping a dice in dice form for too long tended to make their bodies atrophy. Lexx preferred letting them free all the time, but the ship was too small to let them all out at once. This area kept the larger ones out of the way and there were quite a few dice that were bigger than Lexx was. Now, he looked through the ornately decorated glass and metal door separating the small corridor from the biosphere, a mesh of wire added for decoration along the walls over the lights as well. The only way to the small island was to walk across a narrow foot wide plank or to swim. Skate was currently inside, dosing near the surface of the water.
The third area was situated around the biosphere, a semicircle that held the circuitry for ADIS, storage and the 'door' that could take Lexx anywhere on Earth. The final area of the ship was the navigation room. The one area that Chel wasn't allowed in. The last thing he needed was for the human to get in there and push buttons.
While he was accessing ADIS, he was aware that Stealth must be awake. "What are you doing here?" He grumbled. It was easy to sense the cat's location, since she was always being intrusive into his thoughts to gauge his mood.
"Nothing, I just noticed you were up." Stealth purred innocently, rubbing up against the back of Lexx's legs.
"Stealth,… you didn't do anything to Chel did you?" Lexx looked down at her, the previous wonder at being able to hear Chel's thoughts so clearly was still fresh on his mind. While being able to hear another's thoughts and communicate that way would be considered as some mysterious psychic ability, it wasn't that way for Dice players. It was artificial. While it was true that there were large areas of the brain that were not in use and there were ways to make use of those areas, that really had nothing to do with being able to communicate with another equipped player. It was only the area that held the thoughts on another level, separate from normal communication. The only way to access the area was through a receptor chip. Lexx had one. Damian had one; … actually, all of Damian's people were automatically implanted with one from birth.
The receptor chips acted as relay points across a subspace channel, much like a modem in a computer would serve to access the internet, only far more effective. The only problem with, unlike modems and computers, the link could not be severed from the main communication pipe. Now,.. how had Chel managed to be able to project?
Stealth was strangely quiet, her head looking down and tails not moving. "Stealth,… you did something…?"
"I overheard her. I didn't think it would work that way, but she was focused on you,…"
"Stealth…." Lexx felt a sharp pain in his side as he breathed in too deeply.
"The first night, I used a self embedding receptor on her…" Stealth glanced over her shoulder in a guilty manner.
Lexx could barely contain the sudden burst of anger, grabbing the cat by the back of her neck and lifting her up to his level, "Stealth! WHERE the H___ did you get a self embedding receptor?!" His eyes narrowed and he glared at her, shaking her slightly to emphasis just how upset he was.
"I… took it from a shop,…" Stealth whined, ears flat against her head, but in a submissive manner as she was very aware of just how badly she'd acted for her own interests. "A while ago… I thought it might come in useful…."
"You stole it… great,.. great. You stole a receptor, and a very expensive one at that and then thought it'd be useful to use on a Human? Do you realize what you could have done?! That technology isn't meant to be used without medics on hand!" Lexx began to panic, holding Stealth in one hand, his other hand on the console rapidly accessing the sensor grid on the ship. "You could have killed her!"
The sensors focused in on the sleeping quarters and gave a perfect readout of Chel, Zeta and Fly, all three still asleep. Lexx read the scanner quickly, noting that everything was normal and yes,.. it detected the receptor. "What were you thinking?" Lexx grated, his jaw set hard to hold back the desire to throw the cat up against the wall as hard as he could.
"I thought,.. I'd convince her to leave the ship and that it would go dormant after that. We're so far out of the way, I didn't see any harm…" Stealth began quickly, rubbing one paw over the other one nervously.
"No harm, no harm…" Lexx repeated, tightening his hold on the cat's scruff enough to make her squirm in pain and go rigid. She didn't fight back. She knew full well that would only make everything worse. "Stealth,.. what you did,… I don't want to speak with you right now." He dropped the cat.
"She is ok, right?" Stealth landed on all fours and darted down the hall before Lexx changed his mind. She'd gotten off lightly. "It can be removed?"
Lexx stood there quietly, turning away and clenching the sides of the panel before him. "No. Receptors, any kind of receptor,… they're never intended to be removed. The best thing to do is to not say anything about this and do NOT talk to her using it. The more it's used, the more linked it becomes and I don't know how I'd explain this to her. She'd be more angry than I am … and with me. What could I do? I can't remove it, she'll be stuck with it!" And then, he trailed off into a tirade of excessive profanity in Rishan.

Morning came too soon for Lexx. He had slept a few more hours, changed his clothing and messed with his hair for something to do to calm his nerves. The nutriadditives were not doing a good job of relaxing him. Now, he was back down in the corridor, taking a last minute recount of the statistics and location of the new dice. These were estimated stats of what he would be like.
"Good morning, Lexx." He jumped as Chel addressed him. She blinked noting that he was on edge and wondered about the reason.
"Morning." Lexx spoke quickly, "I know you don't like it when I catch dice, … especially after what happened with Zeta, Fly and Stealth last time, but I'm going to ask if you want to come anyway." He pushed a few buttons, showing the Dig dice. It was obviously a creature meant for digging with long curved claws on each foot and an armored body. It looked a lot like an armadillo to Chel. "This is him. He's called the Dig dice."
"Hmm,…" Chel considered it. She didn't like seeing the animals hurt, but Lexx was inviting her and who knew when she'd get to leave the ship again. It was really getting to be confining and the fresh air was always good. "I suppose I could go and watch."
"He's a level 4, so I can use two of the others as long as their levels combined are not more than twice his. Most likely, he won't be injured. I can't promise that he won't be, but chances are with that armor plating, we just have to catch him."
"Who are you going to use?" Chel inquired.
"Zeta and Stealth. If we're successful, they'll roll to their next levels."
"Great, .. they're going to get bigger than they are now?" Chel was almost afraid to ask. It hadn't been crowded last night, but Zeta was a bit heavy and he was laying across her legs.
"Hopefully." Lexx nodded, "I'm not sure what's going to happen to Stealth, new factors make for new raises, but previously, she was as big as Zeta at the same level."
"I guess it'll be interesting to see." Chel grinned, then added with a giggle, looking at how Lexx's hair was tied back and had been carefully teased to stick more upright than usual. "And uhm,… Lexx, your hair was better the other way."
Lexx flushed purple at the comment, he thought it had looked just fine, but now felt embarrassed about it. He turned away and grumbled, "We'll go down first, eat breakfast when we come back. If you're hungry, I'm sure Fly can point you to where the snacks are." The squirrel chirred from Chel's shoulder. He was still perched there and looked quite content to stay there as long as he could get away with it.

Waist high grass spread as far as the eye could see, only thinning when it hit bushes or the thicker foliage near the forest. Lexx looked around hopelessly. They'd arrived into this clearing, only to find it not that clear. The grass rippled in waves like a thick coat of fur as a gentle morning breeze wafted through the blades.
"Not the kind of place I'd expect to find an armadillo." Chel held up her arm so that Fly could walk out onto her elbow and see better. Beside them, invisible in the tall grass Zeta and Stealth were trying their hardest not to lose sight of Chel and Lexx.
"You're telling me! How are we going to FIND it?!" Stealth growled. The cat hopped up onto Zeta's back and then perched herself just behind his head, whining plaintively, "Lexx, we can't see from down here!"
Lexx reached into his pocket and took out a pair of modifier dice. "I'll roll an earth and sound modifier. Maybe something useful will come up, then, I'll roll the last one." He tossed the dice at Zeta and Stealth's feet. The bounced once, then settled into the soft earth. Stealth slid off Zeta and muttered as the effects of one of them worked on her, while the other modified Zeta. She poked at them with a paw, "What a waste! Sonic Eruption and Stone plate! These are useless!"
Chel hmmed, taking a moment to stretch and inquire, "What now?"
"We do a lot of walking." Lexx muttered in disappointment. So far, this dice hunt wasn't turning out like he'd planned and he really hated wasting any time whatsoever. Head down, he started to wade through the grass, keeping his eyes open for any disturbance that wasn't caused by the wind.
They hadn't moved far when the ground started to shake beneath Chel's feet. The patch of grass they were in was shorter here, but there was still no sign of a dice. "Lexx!" Chel tried to steady herself as Fly leapt to the closest tree. "Do you feel that? The ground is shaking!"
"Ung,…" Lexx grunted, "Great! I forgot Dig's a very aggressive dice! We didn't have to look for him! He'll come right for us!"
"And,.. just how big is this dice?! I didn't think Armadillos were big enough to do this!" Chel braced herself up the same tree Fly had abandoned her shoulder for. She looked back at Lexx, wondering just how safe it was to be out here with the ground still shaking beneath her and a rumbling sound of dirt and rocks being upturned nearby. The grass on the far side of the field had begun to ripple in the opposite direction that the wind was blowing.
"No set size,.. but dice are stronger than normal animals." Lexx noted the movement as well and turned, his cape getting caught in the breeze and whipping up behind him. The very top of a mound of upturned dirt could be seen now over the top of the grass. It was coming quickly.
The rolling pile of dirt reminded Chel a lot of a cartoon, but a bit more ominous since whatever was inside of it was coming directly at them. Lexx didn't seem very concerned. Zeta bumped up against his legs and Stealth vanished into the grass to one side.
"Quiiip!!" The mound had just about reached them when it exploded, dirt and grass clods flying anywhere. The same exact creature that they'd been viewing on the ship emerged and landed a few feet away in all his six-inch glory. To say he was tiny, was an understatement. Dig blinked up at Chel, Zeta and Lexx and growled viciously. His ears twitched and he set himself up for battle.
Nothing happened. Chel stared at the little creature, "That's Dig?!" Her jaw dropped in amazement.
"Yup." Lexx folded his arms in disgust. He was small, very small this time around. "Tiny little thing, isn't he for causing all of that rumbling." In the same breath, without hesitation or even bothering to roll the third modifier, Lexx added, "Zeta, Stealth, sic'm."
Stealth emerged from the grass, crouched and ready to pounce, "No need for more dice on this one." She hissed. Dig didn't turn his head, noting her out of the corner of his eyes.
"So'm smaller'n last time…" The tiny armadillo hissed, crouching down and shifting his eyes back and forth on Zeta and Stealth as they approached. "Don't mean nutin' gainst you two!" His tail twitched back and forth in a slow methodic arc, sizing up his challengers. "Remember? I ain't being taken easily!" He scuttled to one side, then the other, ready to move in any direction.
Stealth hissed, a chuckle rising from her throat, "Yeah, yeah.. you're just a mouse with a shell!" She leapt forward, intending to pin Dig to the ground. The sunburned armadillo tilted to one side, jumping forward as she did so that her claws scraped over his armored back easily avoiding anything vital. The cat was very surprised. "Mreow?!" She squalled, unable to recover her balance in time and flipping over with a loud WHUF onto the ground. "Claws slipped right off!!" Stealth inhaled deeply. "ZETA!!"
"Zeta get!" The crimson dinosaur snorted, a puff of smoke emitting from his nostrils. He meant business. "Shell not pretec from Zeta fire!" He bounded forward, head low to the ground and spat a tongue of flame at Dig. The armadillo had just turned to run away from Stealth and was forced to turn again, the cat pouncing low from one side as the flames licked over the other side.
"Owowowo! Hot! HOT!" Dig scrambled forward.
"I bet if I knock you over, you won't be so hard to handle!" Stealth jumped low, her paws out in front of her in an effort to knock Dig over onto his side, where he'd logically be vulnerable.
Luckily for Dig, his low to the ground orientation made him almost impossible to hit right. Noting Stealth coming, he tilted his shell toward her, opting to get a little burned by Zeta's fire over being knocked down and taken out immediately. His claws sunk into the ground as Stealth hit him. "I got him!" So you think. Dig's claws set in the earth immediately began churning it up around him. "Maybe not,…" Stealth's paws sunk into the earth as within a matter of moments, Dig had taken advantage of his namesake and had vanished down a hole.
Zeta bumped Stealth aside with his head and shoved his muzzle down into the hole. "Zeta got idea!" Breathing through the corners of his mouth, Zeta blew smoke down into the opening. "Zeta make undergrass smoky, hard breath!" Around them, wisps of white choking smoke wound upwards into the air, coming up here and there further and further away.
It didn't take long before Dig couldn't take it anymore. He burrowed up so quickly that he broke the surface of the ground and jumped above the grass level to gasp for breathable air. There was no going back down. The ground was too saturated with noxious fumes. He'd have to get further away to get back underground and judging by the cat coming at him, he wasn't going to get far if he didn't do something drastic.
Dig darted over the grass, moving a lot quicker than one would think such a creature could move. The oversized claws on his front and hind legs did little to hamper him. His legs were a little bit longer than a normal armadillos, giving him more maneuverability. He bounced as he ran, hopping for more speed and aware the cat was closing in. Maybe he could throw her off, somehow.
He did the only thing he could think of, a tree getting in the way of his escape path. With one hefty kick of his hind legs, he thrust his round body at the trunk and clawed at the bark, trying to get a good hold. Claws meant for digging didn't work well for climbing. He made a mental note as bark flew into the air and he started to slide down. "Drat!! Up the tree!! Up the treeee! They make it look so easy!!" Glancing back over an armored shoulder, he saw Stealth leap through the tall grass.

"I got him this time! I got him!" She growled enthusiastically. "No way he's getting up that tree!"

Dig tilted backward and rolled, falling just as Stealth had stood up on the base of the tree. With a loud bonking noise he bounced off her head and hit the ground rolling in a tight armored ball. Stealth dropped to all fours in pain, stars flashing brilliantly in her head.

"Hah! You just thought you had me!" Dig squeaked, "This body is simply wonderful!" Zeta lunged forward, mouth open to grab the armadillo as soon as he came into range.

While Dig's shape made it hard for Stealth to get a good hold on her, he fit neatly into Zeta's mouth, wedged in between his teeth much like a dog would grab a ball. Noting the sudden lack of acceleration and brief moment of weightlessness, Dig immediately unrolled, "Quiiiip,.. not rolling anymore?!" Zeta proudly held on, finding he had the smaller dice in a completely vulnerable position. Dig squirmed. He didn't think it was fair at all for Zeta to pick him up before he was done. It wasn't fair! How could he fight back like this? "Argh!! Infidel! Let me go!! This isn't fair, you're cheating! Drop me!"

"Shu-up, or eta ite own!" Zeta didn't see things the same was as Dig. He'd caught him, he wasn't going anywhere and he'd won, even if Dig could probably keep them going in circles for another hour on the ground. The little dragon promptly ran toward Zeta, bouncing and wagging his tail happily.

"Very good, Zeta,.. Stealth. I'm very proud of you two. Thank you." Lexx knelt and Chel noted that he was smiling appreciatively at Zeta as he patted him on the head and took hold of Dig. "There'll be treats on the ship later for both of you."

Dig dangled despondently from Lexx's hands, accepting the inevitable. "Drat."

Chel hadn't said anything during the chase, merely watching and praying that none of them got hurt. She didn't want to see them get hurt at all. Now, she moved next to Lexx to see what he was doing with Dig, then noticed that both Zeta and Stealth were glowing and changing before her eyes. Zeta gained a foot on his previous size and seemed to lose some of his bulk in favor of a more streamlined appearance, his muzzle narrowing a little and the feathers on top of his head lengthening. One of them tilted forward and went the opposite direction of the others. A few more were added to it along the back of his neck.

Stealth's changes were even more drastic. Her jet black fur ruffled, a third tail appearing as the original two lengthened a few inches. The cream color of her face spread over her orange chest, the color fading and blending into the same color and fur lengthening for a fluffier appearance. The red spot on her nose extended up and passed between her ears, which enlarged and rounded. The cat's entire form seemed to mature, loosing the awkward look of a juvenile kitten and turning into the more sturdy and agile look of a wild cat.

Chel looked back at Lexx just as she noted him piercing Dig's ear with a tiny red ring of wire. The dice flinched and snorted; looking irritated, but not really hurt. Chel didn't remember seeing Lexx do that to Fly or Stealth and opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted as Lexx turned to her.

"See, not hurt at all, just had to clip his ear with a ring."

"Not as noticeable as yours,…" Chel made the connection that it probably had something to do with the game and added, "Why do you do that?"

"Keeps track of their vital signs. You can't see Stealth and Zeta's unless you look closely,.. and yes, the ring in my ear is similar for the ADC to keep track of me. I can't remove it." Lexx explained without thinking about the fact that he had purposely hid the fact that he'd put one on Stealth while Chel wasn't looking.

"I didn't see you put one on Stealth." Chel frowned.

"Well…" Lexx averted his eyes, only to note a flash of purple among the nearby trees and a clapping sound, followed by an all to familiar voice.

"Nice catch, Lexx!"

Lexx scowled, thoughts stampeding through his head, 'First Damian, now Claudia?! What did I do to deserve this?!'

Claudia strode forward a sway in her walk and a tilt to her head, obviously in full flirtation mode much to Lexx's disgust. Not that she was bad to look at. Claudia was Lexx's height and had a mass of dark purple hair that cascaded in a multitude of ringlets down her back to the back of her knees. For the moment, she had brown skin and was wearing the latest fashion of clothing for the discriminating dice player. Turquoise and black with the shoulders and a little bit of the arm showing. A gold band was wrapped around the sides of her head, with matching ear tips to decorate the tops of her pointed ears.

Beside her, hopped a light brown and white creature that closely resembled a small kangaroo. It's head came up to her hips and it had black spots across its head and back. Around its neck were a pair of golden collars, more for adornment than to excise any control. The creature had a fairly serious look on its face compared to its mistress.

"You act surprised, Lexx, Dear!" Claudia bounced forward,… a bit too much bounce for Lexx's comfort and then she was all over him as usual, "I told you we'd meet again!"

"It's barely been two weeks, Claudia!" Lexx tried to squirm away, slumping forward and releasing Dig. If he could at LEAST keep her hands off him. Claudia was far worse than Damian, because while Damian was touchy, he was not nearly as invasive as Claudia, whose hands wandered. Casual touch was bad enough.

"Yes!! It's been a long time, way too long to be apart!" Claudia grinned at Lexx; seemingly not aware of how uncomfortable she was making Lexx.

Chel stared, her jaw dropping in embarrassment FOR Lexx. 'Whoa,…" She'd seen girls like this before in high school and a few in college, but not this close. She wondered if perhaps, she should leave Lexx to handle her on his own, even though he looked like he needed help. 'Maybe I should go,.. uhm,.. for a walk or something.'

Lexx felt his panic level slip into level one, reading the look Chel was giving him and noting her take a step back. 'Don't you dare leave me alone with her, Chel! NO!!!!!! Hear me!! I'm desperate!" For the moment, he really did want Chel to hear him and not abandon him to this particular alien. There was no telling what she might do if they were alone. He'd had enough trouble fending off Claudia's advances on previous encounters. Most of the time, the dice helped him get out of these situations, although Zeta's last approach left much to be desired. It had shocked Lexx to see out of the corner of his eye, Zeta, in his full level 6 form lifting his leg on the hem of his coat.

And then, Claudia did something really unexpected, at least from Lexx's viewpoint. She saw Chel. Her face immediately darkened and she clutched Lexx close to her, "Who is THIS, Lexx, Dear?! You've replaced me already?!" She hissed.

Chel's jaw dropped slightly overhearing the comment, then dropped further as Claudia tore herself from Lexx and her voice rose to a wail, "How cruel of you,… and with a common EARTH girl!" Chel edged a few steps further away. This was not something she wanted any part of. "Why? Why, choose her over a celestial goddess like myself?!" Claudia's voice lowered to a more dramatic level, "Oh,.. what did I do to deserve this?!" Lexx could feel his heart hit level 2 panic. He inhaled deeply, unsure of how to handle this. Like most men, females taking on that tone and starting to produce tears, whether real or not gave him a deer in the headlights sensation. "I've been so faithful to you and even followed you to this back world!!" Never mind that Lexx hadn't asked her to follow him nor did he want her hear.

'Ok,… I already don't like her.' Chel frowned, irritated by the display. It was shameless and in her opinion, completely unnecessary. Stupid games that she'd seen played on many unsuspecting and well-meaning boyfriends. Fly glared from Chel's shoulder, his ears back and eyes narrowed.

"Zeta wonder what do to deserve this hisself." Zeta let out a low sigh.

Stealth had already taken to talking to Claudia's dice and flinched her hears back at the whining, and Dig ambled over. "I really despise that woman." He hissed to the two.

"She isn't that bad all the time." The Kangaroo dice's ears twitched and she bobbed her head.

"Claudia,.. this is Chel, Chel,… Claudia." Lexx did the only thing he could think of and introduced the two, hoping to completely evade Claudia's meaningless accusations escalating any further.

"You can't have him, he's MINE!" Claudia was quick to stake her claim on Lexx, whirling around to face Chel in the most intimidating fashion she could muster.

Chel felt less than threatened; instead, she was annoyed. Fly shifted on her shoulder and made a pathetic attempt to growl. "Uhm,… I don't want him." The girl stated, glaring at Claudia. "We're just friends."

"Good… mine!" Claudia hissed, lunging back at Lexx and hanging off his cloak.

"Let go of me, Claudia! I do NOT belong to you!" Lexx grated, hoping she'd let go without him having to remove her. Mainly because he couldn't remove her easily if she didn't let go of her own accord.

"Oh,… hush! You're so cute when you're angry!" Claudia giggled in a giddy fashion. "I understand if you want to keep things discreet in front of the human! I really do!"

"No, you don't understand! I don't want you touching me, because I don't want you touching me!!!" Lexx tried to step back to emphasis the point that his personal space was being invaded. Claudia didn't get the point.

"Ohh, but we're going to be sharing the planet! I Just started my game!" Claudia rattled on cheerfully. "Earth doesn't get a lot of play, should be entertaining!"

"I know,…" Lexx groaned in disgust, "That's why I chose it!"

"Fantastic idea, Lexx, Dear!"

"Will you please get your hands off of me. Now."

Chel watched Lexx manage to squirm out of Claudia's grasp for a moment and quickly run to Chel's side,… putting her between Claudia and himself. Claudia seemed amused instead of offended as Chel would have thought her to be.

Claudia smiled and then laughed at Lexx. "Embarrassed? You're turning purple! Well, I have an excellent suggestion! Let's go up to MY ship! Maybe you won't be so shy indoors." Claudia's blue-green eyes glimmered unnaturally and Chel could swear that they changed color momentarily to dark green. She looked at Lexx, who looked like a person about to have a panic attack. His eyes were wide, brow furrowed in frustration and he almost seemed to be cowering behind her.

"No! It's not what you think!" Lexx leaned closer to Chel, whispering in a frantic tone, "Don't leave me alone with her, Chel!!!"

Chel couldn't help but find that amusing. Lexx's entire demeanor had changed to another side she hadn't seen. His face was flushed violet and when he spoke, it was in a whining tone, instead of the calm low voice he ordinarily used. He was truly disturbed and afraid of Claudia. Chel briefly considered listening to the mischievous voice in the back of her head, noting that Lexx needed her and now, she could be just as mean to him as he had been to her. He didn't really deserve her help? Did he?

"She seems to really like you, Lexx." Chel whispered back, staring up at the sky in a distracted manner. "I really shouldn't stand in the way." It came out more teasing than she'd intended and apparently Lexx didn't get that she was kidding with him.

"Please… please…" He squeaked.

Claudia sidled her way between Lexx and Chel, "Lexx, Dear! I really want to show you my NEW ship!" She tilted her chin down and gave Chel a haughty look out of the corner of her eye, "You're welcome to bring your little friend along as well, if you want! I won't take no for an answer!"

Chel pouted, biting her lower lip to avoid saying something about being called 'little friend'. How much more condescending could this alien woman be? And why wasn't Lexx yelling at her or letting her know a bit more loudly how much she was getting on his nerves. He'd had no problem doing that to her.

"I don't have time." Lexx averted his eyes.

"If you do,…" Claudia moved uncomfortably close to Lexx, her voice lowering to a level that would probably drive an interested man wild, "I won't bother you about it again until you're game's over?"

Lexx considered for a moment. Go to the ship where he risked getting pulled into a corner and smothered with affection he didn't want,… or put up with Claudia following him around every time he came down to the planet to catch a dice. He wouldn't be able to go to his island without her showing up either. She probably had a tracking system set up to notify her wherever he went and whenever he left the ship. Chel would be there with him and he was sure that Claudia wouldn't try anything while the human girl was present. 'Better than her tracking me down everyday like she did last time.' Lexx finally decided, repeating the statement over in his mind to settle it.

Claudia's ship was breathtaking. While Lexx's ship had been amazing in itself to Chel, it was like comparing apples to oranges. The ship was huge and Claudia's tastes in decoration were obviously all about extravagance. They were ushered through wide halls with moving portraits and strange pieces of artwork from very alien worlds. Drapes were hung over doorways and there were not any sliding doors. Everything was open.

Chel fingered the dice in her pocket, Dig's dice. He had not been happy about going with Claudia, so Lexx decided he'd be better traveling in that form and gave him to Chel to hold. It was odd, these little dice forms. Chel noted that they were warm and had an odd texture to them and felt a little weird about carrying him like this. Fly was on her shoulder, perched there and looking about with interest. His short round ears twitched and he made odd chittering sounds. Stealth and Zeta followed at their heels with Claudia's dice, whom she referred to as Illo.

The group stepped out onto the main deck, Claudia striding in front of them with her arms out, the mass of purple curls bobbing up and down with a life of its own. "Isn't it simply stunning?" She turned back to them, motioning to the wall of glass so clear that nothing appeared to be there. All around them, instead of walls, there was space, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"Dig isn't cramped in here,… is he?" Chel didn't even notice at first. Her attention was fixated on Dig's situation.

"Silly girl!" Claudia giggled. "The dice go into a form of stasis in that form. They don't feel a thing until you throw them. The only thing he has to worry about is if he's kept in there too long. There's a time limit. If they spend too much time in that form, they will gradually start to atrophy. It encourages dice players to be sure to use all of their dice and to even out the playing field should they be in the tournament classes. There are many different facets to the game."

Lexx strode to the closest 'wall', looking through it just to feign disinterest in the conversation and hope that he would be ignored. He was here. He didn't want to be here. At some point, maybe he could get the point across to Claudia that he was not interested in her and would never be.

What do you think?" Claudia called out cheerily, moving to Lexx's side, blowing off Chel just as the human girl was opening her mouth to ask another question. Chel scowled behind Claudia's back. Fly chirred and nuzzled her cheek in that way that even non-sentient animals do when they're aware their human's upset.

"It's ,.. big." Lexx continued staring out the window, fidgeting underneath his cloak with straightening his shirt.

"Mmmhmm.." Claudia purred, leaning against Lexx. "With plenty of room for two."

"Claudia,…" Lexx noticeably shuddered, every hair along the back of his neck rising.

"Oh! Don't say anything yet! I'll be back in a moment, just need to slip into something more… comfortable!" Claudia spun on her heels and darted down the deck to a row of curtains. Lexx turned in time to see her go behind the curtain and breathed an audible sigh of relief. He raised one hand to brush his forehead, noting that he was sweating even though the ship was perfectly climate controlled.

Stealth rubbed up against Lexx's leg, "If I didn't like her tastes in décor, that woman would annoy me."

"She annoys me no matter what." Lexx grumbled.

Claudia's dice, whom had remained behind finally broke her silence, "She means well, Lexx, you know that. Just give it a few more weeks and the mistress will find a new passion."

"That time can't come soon enough for me." Lexx folded his arms and tilted his head in Chel's direction, noting the disgusted look on her face. "I am sorry about all this, Chel."

"Oh! That's ok. This place is amazing!" Chel immediately lightened, being taken out of her own thoughts of just how much she disliked Claudia. She was grating on her nerves like no human had, and Chel couldn't quite pinpoint why. Maybe it was simply how bold the alien woman was.

"You like it?" She'd returned. Claudia twirled once to show off her new outfit, a crimson and black dress with a pale wrap. It fit her figure perfectly, outlining every curve in the most emphatic way possible. For an alien, she had a very human body. Chel blinked. She wasn't one to stare, but Claudia had not only changed her outfit, but her skin color as well. Instead of the nicely tanned brown, it was now a much paler shade.

Fly leaned near Chel's ear and whispered, "Claudia's race can change their skin color and even their hair color if they want, neat ability, isn't it?" Chel nodded slowly.

Claudia waved a hand toward the curtained area. The first curtain had been retracted and a table was being quickly set by several beings that were obviously of Claudia's race. "I'm having my servants set the dining table for lunch, if you'd care to join me, Lexx."

Lexx glanced at Chel, then nodded, "I would hope that Chel is invited as well."

"Certainly!" Claudia smiled and waved them both toward the dining room. Chel tagged along, feeling more and more like the third wheel. She was sure that Lexx didn't like Claudia, but she wasn't one to be rude,.. even when someone else was being rude to her.

Apparently the servants had already had lunch prepared and just needed to set it out. Everything was warm and there was a variety of weird looking foods and a bowl of some sort of sweet smelling soup laid out in three sets. Claudia had Lexx by the hand and led him to the chair closest to her. Chel followed for the last chair and was just reaching for the chair when one of Claudia's five standing servants stepped forward quickly.

Startled by the movement, Chel hesitated and wondered if she'd done something wrong. The servant was much like Claudia, tall, with pointed ears and pale skin. He was wearing some sort of red and black uniform and there were a trio of silver stars along a crescent adorning a nameplate in an unreadable language. Unlike Claudia, he had long, solid black hair and violet eyes,… and he smiled genuinely at Chel, pulling out the chair for her to sit down.

"Ciay, hyua muwani." He spoke; unaware that Chel couldn't understand him. Chel got the point and sat in the chair. That was interesting. She'd never had anyone pull out a chair for her and the first time someone does it for her, he's from another planet. Wonderful.

"Rydr, this is Chel, she does not speak our language, but she will understand standard." Claudia noted the exchange and leaning around Lexx corrected her servant. "Chel,… this is Rydr, the captain of my ship." Her eyes twinkled a moment, "And watch him, he's absolutely enamored with strange alien females."

Rydr didn't seem to enjoy that comment, rolling his eyes and commenting, "Claudia,… you can be such a pain." Then he stepped to Chel's side, "Nobody else stood forward and it is only a gentleman's duty to see to it that a lady is treated as such, especially when the attending male who accompanies her does not."

Lexx didn't look up, his face burning at the accusation and pointing out of his lack of manners. He hadn't even thought about doing that and even if he had, he knew Claudia would've figured out a way to stop him.

"Thank you. Rydr" Chel smiled at Rydr, which seemed enough for him as he returned the smile and rejoined his crew. Apparently there was some custom where the ship's crew stood by when visitors were present. It seemed very strange to Chel.

"Isn't this fabulous, Lexx, Dear?" Claudia leaned toward Lexx.

"Uhm,.. yes." Lexx stared down into the bowl of soup, wondering if he really wanted to eat anything. His stomach was knotting uncontrollably and he didn't have anything on him to take to make it stop. "Can you stop calling me that?"

"Oh no!" Claudia giggled in mock horror. "What else would I call you?"

Lexx closed his eyes, trying to calm himself, "Just Lexx is fine." He mumbled.

"How about love muffin?" Claudia suggested giddily.

Overcome with frustration, Lexx felt a spasm ripple up his back. He fell forward, falling face first into the bowl of soup in front of him,. Soup went everywhere and Lexx didn't move, held down by embarrassment.

Chel couldn't resist. She leaned toward Lexx and whispered, "Uhm,.. I think you're supposed to eat that, not swim in it."

Stealth, Zeta and Claudia's dice, Illo were given something to eat in an adjoining room while their masters took their time in the dining room. The trio finished their own meals quickly, except for Zeta, who took his time with the bone that had been part of his.

Illo hopped across the room to push a stool over to where Stealth was sitting. Then she flopped down next to the cat, using the stool to prop herself up on. "You rolled low this time, Stealth?"

"Yes." Stealth busied herself with cleaning her paws. She couldn't figure out why she had this strange desire every time she ate, but it was strangely soothing. "We can't always start out as sixes, but it'd be nice."

"Zeta a three now!" Zeta piped up proudly.

"I was fortunate. Four." Illo stated, "My mistress hasn't had the time to go down to actually play, so I'm also the only one here."

"I wish I was the only one." Stealth muttered.

"I'm rather lonely." Illo glanced at the window wall. "This is a huge ship and Claudia is very busy a good deal of the time."

Stealth finished her cleaning and stood up to stretch, "I doubt you'll be lonely for long… with three gamers on the same world. Probably won't be good."

"Three?" Illo swiveled her ears forward curiously.

"Damian!" Zeta said between bites on his bone.

"Damian Cera Taosh Yurikosa." Stealth added.

"Oh!" Illo recognized the name. "Claudia has always wanted to meet him. He's one of her favorite players. She has posters of him all over the gaming room,… almost as many as she has of Lexx."

"Zeta think maybe that be good idea. Then they both leave Lexx alone!" Zeta stopped trying to bite through the bone for long enough to comment.

"We can only dream, Zeta!" Stealth purred, thinking that would almost be a good idea.

The three went quiet as they heard the sounds of chairs being scooted around and dishes clinking from cleanup. Claudia, Lexx and Chel stepped into the room. Lexx looked like a chained animal, withdrawn and slouching as he shuffled in.

"Illo, would you mind giving Chel a tour of the ship?" Claudia inquired of her dice.

"No, Mistress." Illo sat up and looked at Chel with a smile, "I don't mind,… Chel?"

"No! Don't leave me alone with her, Chel!" Lexx whispered to Chel, looking at Claudia reproachfully from the corner of his eye. He hoped he could persuade her to stay there so they could leave soon.

Chel had other ideas. "I'd love to look around. Shouldn't take too long."

"It's a big ship!" Lexx whispered a little louder.

"Yes, and there is much to see." Claudia grinned, overhearing the whisper. "So you should go,.. now!"

"I can't turn down getting to see it!" Despite herself, Chel decided on going to look around. Lexx was giving her a pleading look not to go, but she ignored it, feeling that he deserved whatever he got into at this point. "Later!" She turned and walked after Illo. Stealth and Zeta got up to follow her, not wanting to be anywhere near Lexx and Claudia with Chel not there.

Lexx really wished that Chel hadn't left. The moment she and the dice were out of sight, Claudia turned to him, smiling in such a way that Lexx almost considered running after them. The only thing keeping him from running was the fact that Claudia would not leave him alone no matter what he did and she was embarrassing him in front of Chel.

"Well, my dear Lexx, we're all alone. Finally." Claudia's voice lowered into a seductive tone that made every hair on the back of Lexx's neck rise.

"Yeah,.. uhm,.. Claudia, I don't -"

Claudia was quick to cut Lexx off, "My chambers are right through there!" She motioned up a small flight of stairs that led into a small glassed in hallway. "We can go there instead of talking here. Much more private."

Privacy with Claudia was the last thing Lexx wanted. He could feel all of his joints locking up with tension and a slight pain starting to ebb in his forehead. "I like it just fine talking out here, Claudia."

"I insist, Lexx. You can take off your cloak." Claudia hovered around Lexx, uncomfortably close, sliding one arm around his neck. He stood completely still, frozen in place. "I'm sure it's starting to get too warm." That was stating the obvious.

"I like wearing it, Claudia." Lexx fidgeted and tried to squirm out of Claudia's grasp as she unfastened the cloak. She had a strong grasp.

"I also have a bottle of aged Sri Nodian wine I've been saving for just such an occasion." Claudia giggled playfully, "You really need to loosen up,… and I can help."

"I do not need to be loosened up, thank you!" Lexx continued to squirm, but he wasn't getting anywhere. He hoped that Chel would return soon.

Meanwhile, Illo hopped in front of Chel, Zeta and Stealth, leading them down the main perimeter hall. From here, the moon was visible like it couldn't be seen from Earth. Chel marveled at the high glass walls and long almost transparent curtains that hung over portions of it. "Wow!" She exclaimed, overtaken by the experience. Never had she dreamed she'd be walking on the deck of a starship. Sure, at points when she was younger she's thought about going up in a space shuttle. But space shuttles are small and cramped without room to move as freely as this.

"Pretty isn't it?" Illo glanced back at the group. "I love coming out here to stargaze!" She seemed pleased that they were enjoying the tour.

"How big is this ship?" Chel noted that the hall and doors seemed to go on endlessly.

"200 rooms. It's a Celestial - 32 class Star Yacht, newest in pleasure travel." Illo stopped hopping a moment to talk about the ship, which she did enthusiastically. "Wait until you see the main deck! Claudia likes throwing lavish parties. She's planning one right now. I'm sure she'll invite you and Lexx. She's so enamored with him."

Chel smirked to herself. Enamored, obsessed, such a nice way to look at it. Then she started to feel badly about leaving Lexx alone with Claudia. Despite Lexx's lack of interest, she hadn't ceased for a moment in flirting with him and touching him. Even after Lexx repeatedly asked her not to, she kept it up.

"I feel kinda bad leaving Lexx alone with Claudia." Chel admitted to Stealth.

"Chel, don't worry about Lexx," Stealth purred without any note of concern, "He can take care of himself."

Lexx backed slowly away from Claudia, not about to head in the direction of her room. He'd barely managed to slip out of her grasp. Lexx waved one hand in front of him, getting little solace in its ability to stave off any of Claudia's advances. "Lexx Dear!" Claudia grinned innocently, hands behind her back. "Why are you so resistant! I have good things planned for us!" Her eyes almost seemed to glimmer in a way that added to Lexx's nervousness… if that were possible. "You'll enjoy it!"

"Nu-uh!! Stay away from me, Claudia!" Lexx's voice was edged with a whine. While he really couldn't stand her touching him, she, like Damian were not aliens to offend. Unfortunately, Lexx wasn't very good at walking the thin line between not upsetting them and keeping his sanity. They had helped him before and he owed them, but he was not about to fall to Claudia's seduction.

Claudia tended to swing from player to player as they interested her. She had a reputation for chasing other players and that was her favorite past time, after playing the game of Alien Dice itself. Not that she had ever succeeded in catching any of the other players. Most of the rumors were that she was a flirt and that was it, but her actions now were the most excessive flirting Lexx had ever seen.

Sure, Lexx had females in the ADC Academy flirting with him, and even now and then they would recognize him in the away stations and try to get him to go with them, but he had little interest in them. He had too much to think about without carelessly sleeping around with numerous females. Lexx was aware that many of those like himself, seeing no future did so as much as they could, but for him, there was no lure in a few minutes of pleasure only to have to leave and go back to his ship alone. In a way, that had added to his aversion to even be touched.

Convince yourself you don't need it. Convince yourself that it's nothing but trouble and unnecessary. Convince yourself that even a step in that direction will come around and destroy you and you can set it into your mind akin to the reaction of putting your hand into fire.

Unfortunately, Claudia didn't think like that. She lunged at Lexx, playfully wrapping her arms around him while Lexx flailed helplessly, "Oh, my one and only true love! Your attempts at evading me make this so much more thrilling! I so love to hunt! The allure of the chase,.. and the sweet prize at the end!"

"Auuughhh!! Stop it!" Lexx yelled, fighting against Claudia. She had clearly only let him go earlier to toy with him, now, it was like struggling against iron bands. "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!"

Claudia and Lexx crashed to the floor. For the briefest of moments, Lexx thought he might actually be able to get away, but he was mistaken. Claudia pinned him easily and prevented him from getting to his feet, or even off his back. He would need to change his tactics if he was going to get out of this. Fighting her physically just wouldn't work.

"Erm,.. ahhhh,.. Claudia!" Lexx looked around, hoping someone would walk into the hall. "Someone's going to see us! Get off of me!"

"Oh!" Claudia giggled, snuggling right up to Lexx in a way that made him shiver and at the same time, burn with embarrassment. Why did she have to do that? "I told the ship staff to go busy themselves on the other decks!"

Lexx searched frantically for a good excuse to get Claudia to stop, "But,.. Chel might come back here!"

"Oh, she won't for awhile. It's a big ship, remember!" Claudia pointed out.

"Claudia, .. Please! Let me go, NOW!" Lexx rolled over, grimacing.

"No." Claudia smiled smugly, "I finally got you on my ship and you aren't going anywhere!"

Lexx went rigid in fear. He swallowed hard, attempting to think his way out of this. Then, it struck him. The perfect escape. "Ok! Ok! But I have to tell you something first!"

"Yes, Dear?!" Claudia looked at him expectantly, still pinning him down with her body. "What is it? I'm listening to your every word!"

That would be a first. Claudia never listened. How many times had Lexx stated that he was not interested? How many times had he asked her not to touch him, not to jump on him or simply to keep her distance? More than he could count.

"I didn't want to tell you,.. but Chel is my wife!" Lexx hoped he sounded convincing, turning his head so he wouldn't have to look directly at Claudia. "That's why she's with me!"

Claudia's expression fell dramatically. "Surely you jest!" She blinked. "Two weeks apart and you're already married, to that human?! Did our time together mean nothing?! What does she have that I don't … and much better I might add!" What could Lexx see in that girl? She was short, not that attractive and her ears were round. How could she compete with Claudia? What -did- Chel have that she didn't?

"Ahem,…" Claudia and Lexx looked up to see Chel and the accompanying dice standing in the hall.

Relief flooded Lexx's body; especially once he noticed that Claudia wasn't holding him down now. She was leaning against him. Ok, now, how should he react? Lexx glanced from Claudia to Chel. Okay, now he was really in a jam. He had to make this convincing, without giving Chel the opportunity to deny anything.

Chel stared at the two. She had that horrible feeling one gets when walking in on people doing things best done in private. 'Oh,.. gross!" She thought to herself. I don't even want to imagine!! The last thing I wanted to see was Lexx and Claudia rolling around on the floor making out. This is sooo awkward.'

Now she'd have to look at Lexx in a different way. He'd been trying to get away from Claudia, now… they didn't even have the decency to go to a room, preferably one with a door. It slightly disgusted Chel.

"I'm sorry,…" Chel averted her gaze, "I'm interrupting something? I'll just come back later-" She started to turn and leave when she noticed the odd look that Lexx was giving her as he scrambled to his feet. Claudia was glaring at her.

"Oh no!! Chel!!" Lexx sounded desperate as he darted toward Chel. "I'm sorry!! It's not what it looks like! I swear!!"

Chel took one step backward, lifting her arms slightly with the intention to block Lexx. She wasn't fast enough. Lexx grabbed Chel forcefully, pulling her close before she could say anything other than, "Lexx!" Chel was going to be VERY mad at him. He just knew it, but it was much better than being left with Claudia. Maybe this would also put an end to that problem.

'What the - I can't believe Lexx is really doing this!' Chel's eyes were open wide in shock as Lexx actually kissed her. If it hadn't been forced, it might have been enjoyable. Lexx only opened his eyes for a moment fixing them on Chel with a frantic gleam that sent chills down her back. 'Now I'm afraid! What are they up to?!'

It didn't last for long. Chel pushed away from Lexx and yelled at him, her left fist raising and swinging as hard as she could at his face. Lexx didn't have time to react as the fist connected with his cheek, knocking him off balance. Chel glared at Lexx and Claudia suspiciously, backing away. Lexx frowned, rubbing his cheek, "Time to go, Claudia,… as you can see. I have some explaining to do."

"You better believe you do!" Chel yelled.

Claudia hadn't moved from the floor and simply watched the two, contemplating, "My,.. such interesting kissing customs Earthers have. Just friends,… married,… brutal."

Claudia frowned watching them leave. She wasn't stupid. The reaction was very convincing, but earlier on the planet she knew that Chel had said they were just friends. There was something else going on here, but Claudia would look into that when she could get Lexx completely alone and away from Chel or vice versa. For now, she just let them leave. Perhaps time would play out exactly what was going on.

Chel was completely silent once they appeared in the living area of the Rift. She immediately walked to the couch and sat, folding her arms and glaring at Lexx. His cheek stung where Chel had hit him. He hadn't expected her to hit him and especially not that hard. She was much stronger than she appeared.

Lexx didn't say anything. He went down to the storage room for a cold pack and returned with it held to his cheek. He was bruised and it still hurt. The nanites were taking their time since they knew he wasn't in any danger and it wasn't serious. They had their way of deciding which wounds needed to be healed quickly and which didn't. This kept his body from being overworked when there was time for it to heal naturally.

'That went well,… but at least I'm free of Claudia!" Lexx sat on the far side of the couch, leaning his right arm against the rest and pressing the cold pack on the bruise. 'It was well worth the pain,… definitely.' He glanced at Chel. She was sitting at a slight angle, her back toward him and obviously still mad. Lexx sighed. "Chel, I'm sorry I kissed you, but I did not have a choice." He shifted uncomfortably as he apologized, "She wasn't going to leave me alone."

"I don't care!" Chel was quick in responding, glaring at the wall. "You kissed me in front of her without my permission! I am so embarrassed!" This wasn't going to be easy. Lexx turned his head a bit more to look at Chel, searching for the right thing to say. Her crossed arms and body posture were a good indication that she was closed off to him. For a brief moment, Lexx was amused. Hadn't it been he who was in a similar mood when she's first come here.

Zeta hopped up onto the couch and nudged Chel's arms. Reluctantly, she leaned back and let him lay his head on her legs. Zeta was trying to help in the only way he knew how. He didn't want to see Lexx and Chel fighting.

"If I had asked, it wouldn't have looked like we were married." Lexx stated.

"But we're not!" Chel snapped.

"Well, yes, we're not, but at least Claudia thinks we are." Lexx pointed out.

"Whatever!" That didn't help. Chel was mad at Lexx using her in his lie, even if he didn't realize it. "I don't want anyone thinking I'm married to you!" She added venomously.

For some reason, that hit Lexx in an odd way. He opened his mouth to say something closed it and thought about it. Saying 'What would be wrong with that?' would not be a good trail to start down. Instead, he decided to change the subject, "You're mad at me?"

Chel scowled at Lexx's statement of the obvious. "You can't tell?!"

"I don't see why you can be angry with me," Lexx felt the need to defend himself. "It meant nothing, really. What's the problem? I had to do something or Claudia was going to do worse to me. You have no idea how persistent that woman is!"

"You are so selfish!" Chel blurted out, jumping to her feet so fast that Zeta ended up being knocked off the couch and to the floor.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lexx didn't understand how. He had been in trouble. How was it selfish to get himself out of something he didn't want anything to do with in the first place.

"Frustrating too!" Chel glared over her shoulder. Why couldn't he see what she meant. It was clear to her. Still steaming, she stormed back to the sleeping area, leaving Lexx sitting on the couch, staring in surprise.

Zeta followed Chel back to the bunkroom. Scowling, Chel sat down on the bed she'd been sleeping on the last few nights. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of indecision. In a way, she felt violated. She didn't take well to being grabbed and forced into an intimate embrace with an alien,.. even if he wasn't an alien. That was really beginning to bother her. He was human. If any man on Earth had done what he did, as harmless as he intended it to be, he'd probably be facing sexual harassment charges.

"Why Chel mad at Lexx?" Zeta's voice broke into her thoughts. He was standing in front of her, head cocked to one side and blue eyes inquiring in his usual innocent way. "Lexx kiss that bad? Zeta not understand why do that. Always annoy Lexx when Claudy try kiss him,.. why kiss you? What you do?" He tilted his head in the opposite direction.

"It's supposed to be something you do when you like someone,.. well for some people. For me. I don't want a guy kissing me unless I want him too and I don't want to kiss Lexx." She paused, staring at Zeta, then added. "I am mad at Lexx because he used me to keep her from doing the same thing to him! That hurt." It really did. She was uncertain about staying on the ship now, almost afraid. Lexx was way too confusing.

In her short time knowing him, she was very aware of his dislike of being touched. He hated it. He seemed to completely tense up if she even got within an inch of him. Maybe,… she considered, he wanted away from Claudia so badly that he'd rather kiss Chel and make Claudia think they were married. It did make sense, but she was still mad.

"Zeta think maybe Lexx not thinking about hurt you doing it? He just want Claudy leave him alone?" Zeta voiced her thoughts.

"Maybe,.. but I'm still mad about it." Lexx listened from just outside the door. He had followed Chel with the intention of apologizing further and trying to find out why she was mad at him. Now, he stood against the wall, thinking.

'I didn't think about it that way. I am such an idiot at times.' Lexx felt his head aching again. This was the first time he'd had to look at things like this or really contemplate another person's feelings. It was really dragging on him that he could also feel what Chel was feeling. Disgust, anger and emotions that Lexx was all too familiar with himself, but had never realized anyone else could feel as badly as he did. 'I should have realized that I was doing the same as Claudia was doing to me. I didn't mean it the way Claudia did, but I think I can see now that I was really wrong."

He swallowed hard, studying his hands. 'I could just let this go and not say anything more. Maybe she'll decide it's not a good idea to stay here,…' There was a brighter side. He still wanted her to leave. She was bothering him in ways that he had avoided in the past. He was also beginning to get used to her being there. It had only been five days, but already he had become a little attached.

Lexx had a weakness for liking some people and beings once he got to know them. As a child, he'd never been the shy type, which always left him open to being taken advantage of and being hurt. Over time, through the Academy he had learned that the best way to avoid the wrong type of people was to be hostile and unlikable. If they saw they couldn't get anything from him easily, they left him alone.

Of course, that approach left him with few friends. Damian and Claudia were his friends, no matter how much they annoyed him. They tolerated his behaviors and it almost seemed to be an allure to both of them. They wanted to know him and he resisted them both. He didn't want to know them. He'd carried his barriers too far.

Now, the girl was getting to him in a way that was aggravating and refreshing at the same time. She frustrated him. He didn't understand her. He couldn't figure out why she wanted to be here. For the cat? That cat was a nuisance. She had no reason to be here, other than she just wanted to and Lexx just could not fathom how someone could do something without a real reason.

She had made him smile.

Now, she was making him feel guilty. 'If she leaves, Claudia will be after me again,… if she stays, I'll be using her to keep Claudia away. I don't use others, I don't.' He thought it over to himself. What was the best way to handle this?'

He didn't want the girl to leave. He realized that it was a bad idea for her to remain, but at the same time, he did not want her to leave. That kiss, as erratic and forced as it had been, was pleasant. Much better than being forced to do what Claudia wanted. Of course, that had only been about two seconds, then he'd almost been knocked off his feet by the following punch.

It had been worth it.

Lexx bit his lower lip. This was not a decision he wanted to make. He wouldn't decide, instead, he found his way out, 'I'll leave the final decision to Chel,.. but I will try to treat her better than I have to make up for putting her in the middle, not to convince her to stay. At this point,.. it's all her choice. I have no reason to be cruel, but as a person I do have a reason to be,.. considerate.'

He lied to himself, dancing around his true feelings. He wouldn't acknowledge his desires. They would get in the way if he did, but at the same time, he was sabotaging himself. He didn't care. He could play this game back and forth. He could walk this fine line as long as he could avoid really thinking about it.

Tomorrow might be his last day alive,… but tomorrow could also be another step toward his own freedom and a real future.

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