Lexx watched Mauki leave, relieved he wasn’t going to be responsible for another life. When the Littan passed out of sight through a glittering door, he looked back to Chel, who was smiling at him. Then he noticed Keith standing on the other side of her, watching them.
“If I lose, the kids go to the winner,” stated Lexx. Chel nodded in response as he took a step forward, hoping she would follow, and Keith would not. “If I win, they are my responsibility.” He glanced to his side to see Chel walking with him. “I do not want that. They will be in better hands than my own.”
“What about Maenae?” Chel asked curiously, running a hand up the back of her neck as the light breeze blew her hair against her skin.
“I never wanted to be a parent,” admitted Lexx. “Maenae will have a better home whether I win or lose. She will remain here. I do not own her, and they will never take her.”
“They took me,” pointed out Chel, picking up her step to swing in front of Lexx and make him stop walking. She stood there, a hand rising up his chest, staring.
“They did, and the outcry was damaging,” Lexx replied, gazing into Chel’s eyes. “Maenae is too well known for the ADC to get away with it.”
Chel nodded slowly, a sad look on her face.
“It is better this way.” Lexx stepped past her, continuing down the beach.
10:09