Disclaimer: Duh?

Okay, to a couple of your emails. Yes, I made the accent disappear. But for one good reason. Daeva does not have an accent. That's why she's called a split personality.

Damn, Not Again!

Ch. 15

"One—"

"Two."

"...Two tickets to Tiar Amagen."

The ticket vender looked at me, glanced at my tag-along, and sighed, turning to punch in the price and destination of the requested tickets. I glanced at my escort and then returned my bloodshot demonic gaze to the vender, who returns, tickets in hand.

"Three piers that way, five up. Ship's called the Persephone."

"Persephone. The tart that went to hell and married the devil?" I asked, supremely disturbed. "Oh, isn't that great."

I snatched the tickets and tossed Richie's up into the air. He caught it deftly and followed me as I walked away, gritting his teeth the entire way, but already thinking of ways to pay me back.

"So, hey, Daeva." he said, catching up to me. "What's the deal with you and space flight?" I knew he was just trying to get under my skin, but this happens to be a pet peeve of mine, and I gnashed my pointy teeth for a split second. "Not afraid of heights, are you?"

"If I was, do you think I would allow the person with whom I share this body to be a thief whose specialty is entering from the roof?" I asked, more nonchalant than I felt. He chuckled.

"But you don't like space travel?"

"Bite me, Richie."

"Already have." he shot back, and I froze, mid-step. I turned to face him and shoved my hands into my pockets, eyes narrowing. He looked triumphant. "It's claustrophobia, isn't it?"

"My what a large vocabulary you have." I growled, failing to stop myself from letting him know just how much he was getting on my nerves. I turned back around and marched off towards our ship.

Men.

He followed me up the ladder and into the ship, where I headed immediately towards my stasis pod. I remembered being awake for the entire last ride with Rae. What a bummer that was, watching everything as it was going on around me.

Riddick had been awake as well. We had watched each other, too drugged to move, thanks to the tubes ventilation sedatives, but wide awake all the same. Rae had reached out for him when he'd passed, and the thud on the glass had actually startled him. He was expecting her to be completely out.

He never counted on her animal side.

As I neared the pod in which I was to be daydreaming the trip away, a hand closed the glass door and the person attached to the hand leaned against the plexiglass substance.

"Richard." I growled, low in my throat. He smirked.

"This really bothers you, doesn't it?" he asked, tilting his head. "Hurtling through space in a rusty old tin bucket. As you said, it was named after the woman who went to hell and married the devil, but I think this about the space." he said, staring into my demonic eyes. I stay there, locking eyes with the criminal as I silently gnash my teeth. "limited air inside, no air outside. nothing but a few sheets of tempered adamantium between you and the vacuum. Walls closing in every time you think too hard about it."

"Riddick, just because you're hesitant about killing me doesn't mean I have any qualms about dismembering you six ways from Sunday." I said, slowly, calmly, with every ounce of annoyance and intent of bodily harm in my voice. "Move it or lose it."

For a moment longer, he just stood there, arms crossed. Then he smirked, standing and turning to leave. I braced myself against the stasis pod until he was out of sight, then opening it and crawling inside.

"Damn it, Rae," I muttered, as the door closed on me. "Why couldn't you have just gone into conditioning?"

[] I' doesn' work tha' way, an' ye know i'. Even if I had go''en the conditionin', you would still be afraid of space travel.[] she replied in my mind.

I sighed as the sedatives took over, and felt myself slip in and out of consciousness, only to be surprised when big, strong hands lifted me out of my stasis pod and set me on a chair. I took a moment to clear my head and then looked around to see that Richie was up and about. I observed the fact that we were not moving and smirked, getting to my feet and going to gather my things at baggage claim.

Tiar Amagen.

Planet of the permanently full moon.

Riddick followed me off the transport and I laughed at his look of shock. I had explained to him in great detail about the Ayorthian transformation and its relation to the full moon, so he understood the significance of the fourteen mooned planet. Two of the moons were always full, but there was a two hour gap between the first two and the next two and every pair after that.

Rae wouldn't have enough time to get to a transport and leave the planet, but having to be locked up for two hours twice a week as opposed to waiting for a chance to make her forget about the time of the season or the calendars was fine by me.

And Rae would even be able to take advantage of my devilishly good looks, as the change back to a regular Ayorthian takes much...much longer than two hours. And if I wasn't mistaken, the change of the full moon was going to happen that night. Time to find a place to stay for the night.

I started off on the beaten path and felt Riddick snap out of his reverie and he caught up to me, adjusting the duffel strap on his shoulder.

"Where are we going?"

"I am going to get lodging for the next couple nights until I can find a permanent arrangement." I said, not looking at him. He seemed to mull this over in his mind for a while and when we reached the city limits, I began to crane my neck, looking at signs, all of which were written in a dead language that I'd studied every chance that I got. I spotted a disreputable looking bar and made my way through the overpopulated streets towards it.

The inside was more disgusting than the outside, but it was a place to sleep and food and drink to consume, however inedible they seemed.

"Charming." Riddick commented.

"You were expecting a Walter Institute?" I asked. Walter Institute was the most expensive, highest quality accommodations that a spacer could ask for. I personally have never been in one, at least not legally.

"Only slightly." came the sarcastic reply. I gave a mocking chuckle and made my way over to the bar. The smarter patrons gave me a wide berth. The not so smart ones made inappropriate offers and went home with less blood than they came in with.

"Oi! Bartender!" I called, and a dirty short fat guy waddled up to the bar. "A room for—"

"Two." said Riddick, predicting my request before hand and changing it. I gave him an annoyed look that he ignored completely. The bartender glanced between us and gave a derisive snort.

"I don't rent by the hour." he snapped. I raised an eyebrow and grabbed the front of his grubby shirt. Pulling him off the ground.

"Neither do I." I hissed. Then I dropped him. "One room, two beds. How much?"

"..." he glanced between us again and then glanced at his prices. "Three jubels."

I fished in Rae's purse [] bitch[] , and pulled out the correct currency before snatching the key to the room and heading for the stairs. Riddick shook his head at the short, fat, conclusion jumping man and followed, opening the door after I had slammed it shut.

He dropped his bag in the corner by the bed and then turned to me as I stared out the window.

The moons were no longer full.

[perspective change]

I had two hours t' ge' ou' of there. I' wasn' goin' t' happen. No time...no time a' all will i' take less than two hours t' find a transpor', ge' a ticke', and ge' into cryo. If I was goin' t' be free for more than two hours a' a time, i' was goin' t' be by her choice, no' mine.

I sighed and looked a' my hands before glancin' a' Riddick. He was lookin' curiously a' me.

"She told ye, righ'?" I asked, and he seemed surprised tha' i' was my voice comin' ou''a Daeva's body. I sa' on my bed and brough' my knees up t' my ches', starin' inte space. I was back in some regular clothes. Black, my signature color. Matched Daeva's skin.

I'm stuck in a body no' my own with a serial maniac, on a plane' from which there is no escape.

Damn.