Poise and Poison

Her apartment smelled better. And there were no guards at her door. Both made her feel better. A lot of things were weighing on her mind so the little things being taken care of seemed like a great relief.

Little things like…?

Zemma giggled. It was safe to giggle now, alone in her suite and feeling good. She felt very good and she was safe here. She pushed all thoughts of Kyra, Vaako and Aereon aside in favor of dinner. Crustaceans!

And music… and her Fury rainforest scene. She wondered how Nor would see it and what she would think of it. There wouldn't be any smells to tell her it really existed, once.

Nor was huffing at the ground and making little growling noises in the back of her throat.

"It's ok Nor, it's just the cleaning men from this morning."

"No. I'm afraid it's not," said a voice in Furian.

Fuck!

Nor was growling in earnest and stalking towards the voice coming from the darkness at the back of her suite. Zemma twitched her lenses up. J'Pheth, and he was armed.

"Nor," she began, hoping she could call her off before he killed her.

"Stop," he said in Furian, and Nor paused in confusion. The word was right, but the voice was wrong. R'Ghnell was right, this was not a stupid man.

"Nor, come," Zemma called, trying to keep the tension out of her voice that might set off the big cat anyway. "You needn't be so rude to our guest." She didn't try to create the sugary coating of Dame Vaako, but the rest: cold, aloof, unafraid. And poised. New mask, new voice, new now. She dropped her lenses.

"You don't seem surprised to see me." Zemma listened carefully to his voice. Irritable, he was expecting fear. Good.

"R'Ghnell said you were a smart man. Dedicated. A shame you moved too soon and alerted the," she paused for dramatic effect and dropped her voice to palatable scorn, "Riddick." But she shrugged a shoulder as if none of it mattered. Poise.

"What do you mean?" Confusion and suppressed hostility. He wasn't sure what he was hearing but she had a hook in him. Good again.

Zemma walked to the bar slowly. She had to play this man carefully. She hadn't been sure when she had heard him and Lady Vaako on the Promenade but now she was. He was the First Captain, the one who had nearly killed her. Just her luck.

And now he was armed.

She took two glasses from the bar and poured a drink into each of them.

"What do you mean I alerted him?" He menaced, stepping closer.

Zemma took her glass and waved an invitation towards the other one.

Take your time. Keep control. Poise.

"It's no problem, really. He's so paranoid, he's been looking for mutiny behind every shadow. You simply took the spotlight off us." She swirled her glass and brought it to her lips as if sipping but didn't let any pass.

"Us?"

"Dame Vaako didn't tell you that?" She let her voice rise in falsetto. "Well, she couldn't in front of that puppet husband of hers, could she? You see, we agree that this Riddick has no business being on the throne. But we disagree about who," she paused to look at him, "should take his place. She wants power, of course, and she's always been jealous…"

"You lie!" He hissed, cutting her off. Anger, but stemming from his uncertainty. Not good. It would make him unpredictable if he lashed out against what he didn't understand.

What does he understand? Feed him that. Give him what he wants. Hurry!

True believer.

The myth.

J'Pheth was advancing with the gun leveled.

Poise, Zem.

"Do you think for a minute that the Lord Marshal didn't know about me?"

That stopped him.

Got him. Play it.

"The Lord Marshal created me. He never trusted Enan W'neta, the Furian. But he needed someone who understood the science of cleansing to adapt it to each new people. And he needed someone who could motivate people to convert." She kept her eyes on his and did Riddick's maddening little head tilt. "The Lord Marshal created the Purifier. He needed someone to ferret out rogue Furians. And he needed someone like me to keep an eye on that."

"You don't bear the mark," he scowled. "You were never cleansed."

"I was never the daughter of the Purifier. I never needed to be cleansed. He thought he was saving me. But I was born in the labs knowing my purpose, knowing the Lord Marshal's vision." She let her voice creep up in volume and down in pitch, "And I will see that vision restored."

Zemma held his eye and counted her heartbeats. Did she get him? Would he believe?

"Dame Vaako said she could use you to bring down the pretender."

"Dame Vaako doesn't like competition. But she loves power."

"She was double crossing you?" Doubt, and yet he was considering it, making it fit with what he believed he knew.

"She knew I was seducing this Riddick…"

Don't you dare blush now, it's not in character. Poise, damn it.

"…To make him vulnerable to attack."

"Why didn't you kill him yourself?" Uncertainty but no anger. He thought he knew the answers now, she just had to feed them to him.

"Do I look like I could kill him?" Zemma let her voice sound affronted. "Poison," she paused hoping he knew that was the Lady's weapon of choice. "Would leave too many questions and no clear leadership."

J'Pheth nodded. Yes he was expecting this answer. It was why he didn't like Lady Vaako either; her reputation preceded her.

"Why did you summon us?"

"I had to know there were no Furians left who might decide to follow this Riddick."

He nodded again. He was feeling a bit proud of himself on this matter. Bastard.

"Drink up." She held her glass up. "To the future." She took another faux sip from her own drink and watched him over the rim. Did she have him?

He wavered near the bar. Paranoia had kept him alive this long. "Why do you have the cat?" His voice was light, as if it weren't important but it was the one piece he didn't have figured.

Zemma laughed merrily. "If you were in league with Dame Vaako, wouldn't you want a taste tester?"

J'Pheth laughed out loud. It wasn't a nice laugh but she was glad to hear it anyway.

Got him.

Good.