Lantash's ears perked up at that, "what do you mean 'everything'?" he asked, eyes flashing.
"I don't know... just... everything."
"He does not approve of me?"
"I guess not," she smirked.
"What are his reasons?"
"I have no idea."
Lantash relaxed, she obviously meant what she said. "But why do you think--"
She interrupted, "Martouf, have you figured anything out yet, have you remembered anything?"
Interesting, isn't it, Lantash? How did she knew to interrupt now or you would harp on incessantly about it?
"Actually, I have," he said enigmatically, pleased she had both asked him to talk to her and dismissed Lantash so easily.
"So you did find something," she said enthusiastically.
"Someone, a General to be specific. He believes I am still possessed by Kaya so he readily told me of Torres' attempt to seize power over this land. Torres organised a coup meant to kill me. Well, he was not thorough enough the first time and the general was never really on his side so when you came back for Torres he didn't stop you.
"Unfortunately the guards did not know anything about all that when they found you there... and they had seen you around here before," he looked to her with a regretful smile .
After a while he broke the silence, "Do you feel different?"
"About what?"
He stared at her a moment. "The sarcophagus..." he finally prompted.
"...what?" she said like she was certain he had been referring to something else. He realised she may have thought he was asking how she felt about him.
"It's not so bad, Samantha. I feel different. Don't you?"
"No...yes... why?"
"Maybe it doesn't have to matter this time that they used it on us. I think we need not tell anyone."
She looked surprised and mused.
He continued, "they wouldn't understand, they don't know what we've been through."
He had become so serious all of a sudden and she didn't want to disappoint him so she agreed, "It won't happen again."
"Not very likely to, is it?" he smiled.
They'd both become pensive.
A question occurred to him, "What where you doing in the court?"
"Just browsing, trying to blend in, which thanks to you was impossible!" she shot, punching him in the arm.
"You shouldn't have followed me."
"We both know you couldn't possibly handle a mission so dangerous all by yourself," she teased, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the look on his face.
Let me out!
"Lantash is rather furious with you," he said, feeling a mixture of revulsion and amusement at the turmoil going on inside.
"Yeah?"
'Yeah?' The Woman is begging for an audience with me, Martouf! Do not deny her any longer.
He sighed, "I'm sorry, Samantha, but as a Tok'ra I could not justify myself standing in his way at this particular moment."
"Then I'd better be going if I want to avoid the 'fireside chat', see you later!" she said jumping up and hurrying away.
Though she got a head start while they switched she lost the time with by getting lost straight away and wandering into the control room. He walked in calmly. Had her cornered. Until, of course, seeing the alluring threat in her eyes, he unwittingly stepped forward onto the rings and they flew up around him.
He rolled his eyes.
And so The Feminine Manipulation of the Male begins.