Twilight sifted through the air, and a crescent moon began its ascent from the horizon. Content with the the near accomplishment of their quest and slowly growing drowsy with wine, the party seated about the campfire spoke quietly, conversations gradually becoming more personal.
"I am quite certain you are not the tallest man in the world," Hamish said. "In fact, I am sure there is a man taller than you living in London."
Ilosovic thought for a moment. "I don't know if I'm offended or relieved."
"I'd like to think this means we wouldn't be conspicuous if we traveled in Overland after all," Casiphia said, "but judging by this poor man's reaction when he first saw you, that isn't likely to be the case."
"Remember, darling, there seems to be no need for you to go seeking adventure," Ilosovic said.
"True enough," Casiphia said with a quirk of her lip.
"So what do you think of your new companions?" Alice said quietly to Hamish.
He thought for a minute. "I like the dormouse."
"He likes the dormouse!" Mallymkun crowed, overhearing this, and capered about with her scissors blade drawn until Casiphia bade her stop before she damaged something, or someone.
"Quite the day it's been," Tarrant said, picking up Mally and setting her atop the hat that rested near his feet. "I have to say things seem to be working out rather well."
"I would have to agree," Alice said. Suddenly she was stricken with a yawn. "And I think it is time for bed."
Idorea looked disappointed, which Casiphia personally understood, but the others stood up, stretched, and began setting up camp.
Hamish looked forlornly at the saffron tents. "I suppose we can make do with our own tent," he said. "The small one."
"Certainly not," Tarrant said. He produced from deep in his pack a length of indigo silk ("Do ye ever tire of watching him do that?" Idorea asked Alice. "I wouldn't.") which he soon had draped into a reasonably sized tent, held up with sticks he had apparently gathered up as they rode along the river. "It wouldn't do to have you two sleep without shelter," he smiled.
Hamish began to formally thank the Hatter, but was cut off when Idorea seized him by the hand and pulled him into the tent, saying, "What a cunning wee tent, Mr. Tarrant! And so nice to sleep on blankets, not that the grass wasn't soft enough, but this is so nice, oh yes, it is!"
Discovering that the blankets were in fact every bit as soft as Idorea said, Hamish found that he was too sleepy to protest the improper sleeping arrangements. Besides which, mores seemed to be quite different here, and the only person he really knew was Alice, and she was no more proper than the rest of them now. Not that this was surprising.
The next morning he crawled out of the makeshift tent to find the others taking turns bathing just past a nearby bend in the river, and helping themselves to tea and scones.
"Scones, no less," Hamish murmured as he found an empty plate. Tarrant and Alice sat near the remains of the campfire from the night before, wet hair neatly combed, and Mally groomed herself with her paws, her fur standing up in wet spikes that she tried in vain to flatten.
Ilosovic and Casiphia returned from the river shortly thereafter, looking refreshed from the brisk moving water of their bath, if a bit rumpled in clothes that had clearly not been washed or ironed in some time. Casiphia sat cross-legged on the ground beside the fire circle and poured herself a cup of tea, while Stayne knelt behind her to comb out her hair.
As he finished by deftly plaiting the heavy mass of her brown hair into a braid, Hamish heard himself remark, "He is rather good at that, isn't he?"
"He is rather good at any number of things." Casiphia glanced over her shoulder at her consort, who returned the compliment with a salacious grin.
"Most of which I suspect I'd rather not know about," Hamish said under his breath.
"You would be correct in that," Alice said, overhearing him. "Really, it is better not to ask."
