Later that evening, the wind died down and the water became smooth. The stars were shining bright in the cloudless sky. Arya and Aulix were still up on deck, having eaten an hour ago. The man that had hit on Arya was snoring down wind from where they sat.
"Any mice or rats on board that we can use to bite him?" Arya joked.
"That's too easy. Let's see if he's got anything interesting in his pockets."
"I'll bet you this apple that he'll wake up before you get into his pockets."
"Deal. Watch and learn," Aulix relaxed and pushed his mind into a rat.
It took a few minutes to get up on deck, but the rat easily made it to the fat body. The rat sneezed repeatedly, then carefully went into a pocket. It did this three times, before the man rolled over and almost crushed the rodent. Aulix brought the rat to them and put a piece of cheese in front of it, before leaving it's mind. The rat took off with the treat.
"Damn, did that guy stink!… I believe you owe me an apple."
Arya took a bite out of the apple first, before handing it over. Aulix didn't care and ate it anyway. This was a game they played back and forth. Arya used a mouse to scope out the galley and a rat did the same in the cargo hold. Eventually they got bored with this game too.
"If you want to sleep a little, I'll keep watch," Aulix offered.
"Yeah thanks. The rocking of the boat is making me feel sleepy," Arya yawned.
"You can either put your head on my lap or shoulder, choice is yours."
She lay down on her side and put her head onto his thigh and back facing the wall of the boat. She put her quiver/ sword sheath behind her back. Aulix rested an arm over Arya's shoulder, but otherwise didn't touch her. He listened to her do the usual pre-sleep death list chant, smiling at the predictability of it. It was her breathing that told him she was asleep. He knew it wasn't deep, but would recharge Arya's energy all the same. Scanning the deck, he saw the rat they'd last used, scurry towards the door of the Captain's cabin. The only other person that stirred, was the sailor steering the boat.
An hour later, Arya woke on her own and told Aulix he could sleep if he wanted, same options. He chose thigh too, but lay on his back. She rested her arm on his chest and he put a hand on it. His sleep was longer and definitely deeper, but woke before sunrise.
"Good morning," Aulix yawned and then sat up, stretching as he went.
"G'morning. The wind is blowing strong, we're moving at a good clip. How long do you think it will take to get to King's Landing?" Arya asked handing him half an apple.
He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, then answered. "Depending on the wind and if we run into any storms, maybe a month and a half. Gulltown is closer and if we go to port there, it's only about a month away."
"Gulltown is at the northern tip of the Bay of Crabs, southeast of the Eyrie and south of Runestone right?"
"Yes and it's ruled by the House Grafton."
"I wonder who is in charge of customs at the port of Gulltown. Do you know?"
"No idea, but once we're in port, it won't be hard to find out. Why?"
Arya shrugged, "just curious." She stood up, put on her quiver and looked out over the ocean. "I forgot how long this trip was. How am I going to stay entertained for so many days?"
Aulix smirked, "what did you do the first time?"
"Kept out of the way, watched people, not much."
"The sailors play a card game, we could join that."
She grinned, "that's a good idea. We can work a scam and take them for all they've got in the end."
"I love the devil inside you," Aulix laughed. "Well I''m good at reading physical tells and you're better at figuring out patterns. So we'll watch them a few days and then throw down with 'em. Loosing a few hands here and there, will make our final win seem like pure luck."
"I like that strategy. Can you point out the guys that were playing last night?" Arya asked, her eyes moving from one man to another.
"Sure. The beefy one that you told off and see the man barfing over the railing?"
"The tall skinny guy?"
Aulix nodded, "yeah him. He's not sea sick, he drank a lot last night." He looked around, "the sailor climbing up the mast, he won a lot. The other two men are passengers, but they haven't come up from below yet."
"What were they putting in the pot, coins, jewelry or food?"
"Coins, a watch and some jewelry. No food."
Arya's stomach protested hungrily, "let's fish." From her back she took off the bow and got ready an arrow, that had a line attached to it. "Try to bring the fish close or have it breach the water."
Aulix remained sitting and pushed his mind out. It took a while, but he managed to lock on a large fish and swam it towards the ship. Then he made it leap out of the water and returned his mind to his body, just before Arya's arrow pierced through the centre of the fish's body. She quickly gathered up the loose line and brought the fish on board. Removing her arrow, she handed the fish over to Aulix.
One sailor whistled in appreciation, "that's a big one!"
"I'll take this to the galley and see if the cook wants to trade it for some cheese and bread," Aulix smirked.
"Knowing you, he'll not only trade it, but give you some cider or ale too." Arya rolled her eyes knowingly.
That same sailor approached and asked, "can you do that again?"
She shrugged, "yes… but we've got what we need."
"Care to bet on you getting another fish?" He asked.
"Possibly, when my partner returns we'll see." Her mind was already strategizing. Maybe this voyage wouldn't be too boring after all.
Aulix came back, carrying food and a jug of cider, "I know you prefer this instead of ale."
"Thanks… that guy over there wants to bet that I can't pull in another fish. Shall we prove him wrong?"
In their hand language, he said, 'miss once and then take the next fish. If more join the betting, drink a lot of ale, miss again and then land the final shot. Make it look like you getting the fish was pure luck.'
Arya replied, 'the first fish I miss make it big and the one I hit, make it medium or small.'
Together they ate the food that the first fish and Aulix's bargaining had got them. Arya took a good swallow of cider to wash it down. After they finished, she readied the arrow on her bow.
"You still want to bet?" Arya called over to the sailor.
He waved over two of his crew mates and then replied, "you ready?"
Aulix interrupted, "she gets two tries. If she fails after the second time, then we'll accept the loss." He shook the hands of the sailors and nodded at Arya.
The men went to look over the rail of the ship, no one paid attention to Aulix. He remained standing, semi-perched on a barrel, when his eyes rolled back into his head, no one noticed. It didn't take long to push his mind into a large fish and he made it breach, just like before. This one, Arya missed on purpose and swore, making the sailors laugh. The second fish was too big, but he used it to locate a more suitable size, which he sent to her immediately. When Arya reeled in the second fish, Aulix helped her remove the arrow from it's body.
"There's your fish, she won that one."
The original sailor, who was the Boatswain, suggested a new bet. "That can't even feed one man. She has to land a big one, the same size as you pulled on board earlier this morning."
"Double or nothing?" Aulix asked.
The men agreed and Arya followed their pre-set plan. Aulix knew she could drink the whole jug of cider and still hit true with her arrow. Like the pro she was, Arya wasn't just fishing, but baiting the men. In the end, they all believed it was sheer luck that she landed the big fish. She'd played the game so well, that even though Arya and Aulix took their money, the men felt they'd won too, since the fish would be their food later in the day. The Boatswain also invited them to join their card game that night, if they were still awake. In order to gain information on the player's tells, they would have to pretend to sleep early. About three nights later, Arya and Aulix were awake for the game.