A/N: Hello there! Hm, well I haven't been updating much of anything in the past year or so, but after a big move, I've had a bit of issues with free time, so updates are slower. Anyway, here's another chapter

Scratch what I said. Things certainly weren't looking up at all. We found Tarp, a crew member of mine that same night and even though I was happy that we had already found a member of my crew so early in our quest, I couldn't help but be irritated as Tarp and Cowlquape chatted behind me as we hurried to the boomdocks in search of spirits.

Tarp and Cowlquape seemed to be getting acquainted quite well even though one was an academic at heart and the other a crewmember of a skyship.

Actually, since I had introduced the two, I hadn't been given a second glance all the way there. I knew Tarp wouldn't steal Cowlquape from me, there was an age difference of massive proportions between the two and I think Tarp already had his eyes on someone anyway.

But that didn't excuse the way Tarp was eyeing Cowlquape as they talked. Yes I admit, I was jealous. Just when everything was going so well between the two of us, Tarp just had to arrive and ruin everything. The smell of tripweed beer and the grumbling voices of the cloddertrogs we were interrogating weren't helping maters either.

Tarp had found this as an excuse to move even closer than he already was to Cowlquape, assuring me he was "protecting him."

Of course, moments later when we landed in a net after being chased by said cloddertrogs, I made sure that I was between Tarp and Cowlquape. I would have pressed myself up against him and used the net as an excuse to smell his hair or snuggle up to him but I hadn't wanted to scare him or alert him that our relationship as friends was so much more to me.

Besides that seemed hopelessly desperate to me anyway. When Cowlquape fell madly in love with me, there'd be all the time in the world for hair-smelling and cuddles. I thought Tarp was just the slightest annoyed by the way I had come in between the two but I couldn't care less about him at the moment.

I was lying on top of Cowlquape and my, did that reawaken those midnight fantasies of mine! Spluttering to clear my head of such thoughts, even as we found both Sleet and Bogwitt, for the most part, unharmed, I could only think of how many people I would have to share Cowlquape with.

I wasn't possessive of course. That's a horrible trait to have in a lover. No. If Cowlquape wanted to talk generally with other men, I was perfectly alright with it. Still, even with only Tarp, I already felt like a third wheel.

I hadn't talked with him since after the tavern fight and the thought of speaking sparsely with him once more, was unbearable. I immediately had to think up a reason that they couldn't accompany us. It was easy enough.

We all glowed the moment we got too close to each other and the last thing I wanted to do was to attract unwanted attention to ourselves.

Besides, Bogwitt and Sleet didn't seem in much condition to travel and there was absolutely nothing that would persuade me to continue letting Tarp travel with us.

Waving away their refusals, I told them my decision was final and steered the conversation away from such matters.

Finally once more, it would only be Cowlquape and myself. Just the two of us.