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The trip was slow and painful. Min held herself perfectly erect and didn't let anything show on her face. She hoped. She hadn't had to mask this much before. But she figured most people were staring at Nor anyway, most people didn't go to the Lords' zoo.

Nor seemed perfectly content to be with her, which raised Min's spirits considerably. She padded along slowly beside Min snuffing at the smells but not wandering off at all. She was probably as glad to be out of the zoo as Min was. The other queens hadn't been kind to her.

Min kept her blue lenses up the whole time, which was painful in its own right. How did Riddick go his whole life putting up with it? Well, she didn't have goggles and they would have defeated the purpose anyway. She didn't gaze around, she knew her way, and it made for, she hoped, quite a visage: The former simpleton child-woman walking, with poise, silently through the whole of the ship like a sombulant with an armored cat at her side.

'With poise?' She wanted to giggle.

At least he didn't hit my face, she thought gratefully. He'd been satisfied with breaking her arm -very- slowly. At least she knew he was aware: aware of their language still, aware of the moles, aware of the danger of being a Fury on this ship. That was the good news. The bad news was that she had no time to actually talk to him.

Min had gone to his cabin in the middle of ship-night and used a generic master code to let herself in. He had been on her almost immediately in the dark but if he still had control of his lenses he hadn't used them. Fortunately she had twitched hers up so she had dodged his first attack. Then she had spoken to him in Furyan, 'the new Lord Marshal is Furyan.' That was all she had time to say since she didn't manage to dodge his second attack, the one that probably broke her ribs. At the time she thought he had broken her back when his kick catapulted her into the wall.

It went downhill after that.

He spouted off about her blasphemy, that he was loyal to the faith, that whatever Lord had sent her to try tricking him into betrayal would be found out and punished. Then he decided it was his duty to get the name of that Lord out of her himself. That was not a fun eternity since she still couldn't breathe let alone talk.

I told you this was crazy.

Well, at least part of her mind was sharp as ever. She couldn't muster the enthusiasm to tell it to shut up she was BUSY trying to think of a way to survive this stunt.

Then she was busy screaming.

Ah, the future Lord Marshal... the voice started but Min cut it off.

She did what she had always done to survive, looked helpless. She would have liked to have actually fainted just for the relief but doubted she would wake up from it. She suddenly stopped screaming and went limp. He kept her in the grapple hold a moment longer before he threw her to the ground. Min was ready; she landed on her good arm and jackknifed her legs behind her quick as a snake. She was rewarded with his cry of surprise and pain... and a head start.

Now she was nearly home.

That would have seemed a strange word to call her suite before but a lot of things had changed, mostly in her own thinking.

The Vaakos had asked for her father's suite. Riddick had denied them though at the time Min hadn't cared, actually expected them to have it. He didn't tell her about it either. Min found out afterwards when Dame Vaako tried to maneuver Min into a dark corner for some cathartic one on one.

"Hateful little animal," Lady Vaako had started out.

That was interesting for Min at the time, could Vaako still be mad about the foiled poisoning? Min let herself be led just to see what was on her mind. Lady Vaako was usually good for some interesting conversation, sometimes with her fists. Min didn't intend to let that happen anymore but she was still curious what had Vaako in such a mood.

"What is it about you, you drooling, mindless..."

Drooling? Min had never drooled, she may have played mindless but she still had to live with herself.

"...First the Purifier, now the Lord Marshal..."

Oh, the sex thing, was that all? The dirtier the better, Min reminded herself. Did the Lady want sex tips? Well, the first time she had some she would be sure to...

"...You don't even live there anymore, you have the run of the Lord Marshal's suite..."

Oh, that. Well, that was interesting after all. Riddick never did anything she expected, and he seemed to have a flair for really irritating people... so was this kindness on his part? Or just another thorn in the Vaako's side? Certainly Dame Vaako had made it clear she expected to suite to go along with her husband's position.

Min had never bothered to ask him.

You just wanted to think he did it for you.

Give it a rest.

Ah, her own hall... her own door... Min put thoughts of Lady Vaako aside and moved a little faster. Her palm print still opened the door. Her voice still locked it. She dropped her lenses and called for lights then made her way to the comm to leave a message for Riddick...

"I have good news and bad news... But first, do you have any medical training?"