"What?" Dart asked, leaning his back against the railing of the Queen Fury.
"Erisi got seasick," Matthias chuckled. "Don't blame her. She got it really bad a while back on her first voyage on the open seas. I'm more of a pirate then she'll ever be, 'cause I've been on a ship more times than I can count."
"This is only my third or fourth time," Dart admitted.
"You soon get used to it," Matthias said.
Silence prevailed between the two as Dart stared up at the off-white billowing sails.
"So," Matthias said, breaking the silence. "How'd you meet your wife?"
Dart seemed to be caught off guard by the question. "You mean Shana? We grew up together." He thought for a moment. "Do you have anyone special?" He grinned cheekily over at Matthias.
Matthias smirked. "All these years I've been alive, there's only been one person I have really, truly cared for." He paused, listening to the wind pass by the sails. "But...it doesn't matter now."
Dart put a hand on Matthias' shoulder. "It's okay. I can't say I understand how you feel, but I can say I have experienced loss of a loved one when I lost dad two years ago. He gave his life to give me a future...and that's a debt I'll only be able to repay by living my life to the fullest."
Matthias gave Dart a serious-toned grin. "Your father was a great man, Dart. I know you'll tire of hearing this, but... There's so much of him in you."
Just then, Erisi came staggering up. She held her stomach with a hand, and looked a bit green in the face.
"Hey babe," Matthias slung his arms about her shoulders and gave her a gentle hug. "Feeling better?"
"Don't call me that," Erisi muttered irately. "And don't squeeze me too hard. Unless, of course, you want me to get sick all over you."
Matthias slackened his hold on her, but kept his arms about her shoulders.
It suddenly hit Dart how short Erisi was. Standing there with Matthias, her eyebrows barely reached his chin.
"So," Dart said, crossing his arms in a playful manner. "Are you two a couple or what?"
Erisi scowled at Dart, but didn't answer. Her stomach lurched suddenly, and she gagged as she clamped a hand over her mouth.
Matthias slipped an arm wordlessly around her shoulders and led her to her cabin.
Lavitz passed the pair as he walked up to Dart. "There you are. What's wrong with Erisi?"
"She's seasick," Dart replied.
Lavitz nodded understandingly.
Sun Raye flew up and perched on Lavitz's shoulder. "Otohime-sama has a really bad case of motion sickness. She should be resting, but I can't seem to get her to stop running around."
"Otohime-sama?" Lavitz asked. "That means youngest princess. Where'd you pick that up?"
Sun Raye scratched behind her left ear with her left hind paw in a cat-like fashion. "I asked my mistress Erisi what she was called when she was little. She told me her family and closest friends called her 'Otohime' as a nickname. Since she is now my mistress, it is my duty to refer to her properly."
"Loyal little creature, aren't you?" Lavitz asked.
"Reminds me of you, Lavitz," Dart said.
"Loyalty is different for a Manoo and for a Human," Sun Raye said. "Where is Otohime-sama?"
"She began to feel sick again, so Matthias took her to her cabin," Dart answered.
"I should go to her then," Sun Raye said.
"Oh no you don't!" Lavitz grabbed Sun Raye off his shoulder, preventing her from leaving. "You're gonna give those two some privacy, they deserve it!"
Dart shot Lavitz a questioning glance. "What do you mean? Are you talking about Erisi and Matthias?"
"Of course," Lavitz answered. "Have you seen the way they act around each other?"
"Yeah, they act like close friends," Dart said, shrugging.
"No. They act like Deirdre and I did before I told her how I felt," Lavitz admitted, turning pink.
"Lavitz...Matthias is a Wingly," Dart started.
"And so is Deirdre!" Lavitz snapped in a manner that made Dart take a step back. "The fact that Deirdre is a Wingly doesn't make me love her any less. Perhaps it is the same with Erisi and Matthias."
Matthias sat on the edge of the bunk in Erisi's cabin. He called to Erisi, who was in the small wash closet that was connected to the cabin. "You all right in there?"
"Yeah." Erisi called back. "That stuff Kayla brought me works miracles. I don't feel sick anymore."
"That's good," Matthias replied.
Erisi emerged from the wash closet, looking exhausted. She flopped down on the bed on her back.
Matthias placed a hand on her stomach. "Tummy muscles sore?"
The blonde glared up at him. "What do you think? Of course I'm sore! I've been throwing up all day." She rolled onto her stomach; propped herself up with her hands and crawled up to the pillow where she collapsed on her side.
Matthias tossed the blanket over her. "There. You rest awhile."