The excitement at having left port subsided when they lost sight of land, the reality of their voyage looming on the horizon before them. Constantin, despite his bravado at the port, had quietly slipped away to nurse away the aftermath of the previous night's celebrations.

Or the coming months of sea sickness, Kurt wasn't entirely sure.

The Nauts had set about their business like a well-timed piece of clockwork – every cog ticking in perfect sync. Kurt watched them for a time, admiring the familiarity and ease with which they operated the ship, then noticed that De Sardet was missing.

Constantin was already occupying the small, private space that the Congregation party had been allocated in the hold, so Kurt didn't bother looking for her below deck. Instead, he found her small and hunched between two barrels, pale and quiet, staring into the middle distance.

At first, he mistook it for seasickness, but then he saw the grey pallor of her lips.

Shock.

Kurt crouched beside her and tried to make eye contact. She remained vacant – distant – staring at something far off that no one else could see. Kurt sighed and shifted his weight, crossing his legs in an effort to make himself comfortable.

"Hey," he coaxed, voice as gentle as he could muster, "Greenblood. You're alright – you did it."

She was shaking her head at that, not meeting his gaze.

"Kurt – if it hadn't been for you…"

"I didn't fight it!" he objected, "You did that all on your own."

"You got Constantin away…"

"Which I wouldn't have been able to do, had that thing got near. Which it didn't. Because you did your job right."

There was silence for a moment, then Kurt remembered the flask in his pocket. He drew it out, uncorked it, and offered it to De Sardet who shook her head.

"I know you don't drink," he smiled, remembering that one drunken night when he'd knocked her into a ditch, "But this is medicinal. You've had a scare…"

She looked at him for a long moment, then took the flask and let at least half of it trickle down her throat. Then she passed it back, shut her eyes, and leaned her head against the side of one of the barrels.

"Did I do well, then, Master-at-arms?"

"You did, my lady."

"Not excellency?" The ghost of a smile played at the corners of her lips and Kurt clapped her knee as he had when she was a child.

"Definitely decent, but you took a few hits so… not excellent."

She opened her eyes, the phantom grin solidifying into something real and warm, "So you're saying if I take down one of those things without being hit…."

"I don't know. I could take down one, I reckon," he said with mock bravado, "So for excellent you'd have to do at least two without getting so much as a scratch."

"At least two?"

"Maybe three."

Silence then, but companionable and familiar. Kurt took a swig from his flask and offered it back to her. Without asking if she could, she downed the rest and sighed – almost contentedly.

"I'm glad you signed up to come along," she said at last. Kurt cocked an eyebrow – signed up. As far as he'd heard, she'd been responsible for his posting.

"I had my orders," he tried, attempting to keep his voice as neutral as possible. He looked over at her and was surprised to see the her recently grey face was now flushed crimson.

"Oh?" the noise was slightly too high pitch, too loud. Kurt chuckled, and shook his head.

"You can stop pretending – Constantin told me you'd arranged for my posting."

The red of her cheeks deepened and she grimaced.

"Remind me to do something dreadful to my cousin when he emerges," she muttered, then, "To tell you the truth, Kurt, I'm terrified. I feel so… young. So inexperienced. Too inexperienced to be doing this, in any case. I asked for Sir De Courcillon and yourself to accompany me to… well, to keep me right."

Kurt felt that pang again – the one he'd thought was obsolescence, but which clearly couldn't be given he had just been told explicitly that he was needed. He searched De Sardet's face for a hint of irony but found nothing there, aside from an open, honest gaze.

"I'll do my best, Greenblood, but I'm hardly an expert in diplomacy."

It was her turn to clap his knee and smile, "Diplomacy is entirely subjective. And look – you're already helping! Just seeing that you're as terrified as I am has cheered me up no end!"

She stood and offered her hand. Kurt took it, and found himself holding it for a moment longer than was strictly necessary. Their eyes met and she smiled at him, the same pink colour rising in her cheeks. Then she released her fingers, nodded once and pointedly found one of the nauts to talk to while Kurt watched her go.

He was certain that something had just happened between them, but he hadn't the faintest idea what.