It set up a pattern for Tarrin that continued for nearly a ride. He would practice with his bow during the morning, shooting at little target balls of light that Sarraya created for him out over the open water, then he would spend time with Camara Tal after lunch and let her teach him her language. After that, he would eat dinner with his friends, and then spend the rest of the evening with Allia, playing stones or chess, reading, or just dozing on her lap or against her side. Sometimes Faalken, Dolanna, or Dar spent the evening with them, talking, playing King's Castle or betting games like Tall Man's Bluff. The time of quiet normalcy eased Tarrin through the episode with Camara Tal, and got him back to a point where he could stay in close proximity with her for extended periods of time.
Sarraya was another matter. He often stood as host for her as she sat on his shoulder or on top of his head, and he often forgot that she was there. She knew many interesting stories, and entertained Tarrrin and Allia more than a few nights with her old folk tales as they played chess or stones. She knew as many stories as Phandebrass, but hers were stories of the Fae-da'Nar, so they were much more original and unique than the doddering wizard's tales from around the world. Since the misadventure with Turnkey, she had stopped being such a pain, and that had made her much more accepted both by Tarrin and by the rest of the ship's population. She still played a few pranks, but they were very mild and nothing that would make anyone angry. And he had to admit, she was a rather funny person. She had a sharp tongue, a razor wit, and a flare for the melodramatic. Tarrin was alot closer to accepting her than Camara Tal, though he didn't entirely trust her yet. She didn't impose on him or push him or make him feel uncomfortable anymore. She simply talked, made jokes, and quietly worked herself back into Tarrin and Allia's good graces.
Eleven days after leaving the Tears, the Dancer found itself coming out of a light shower. A strong tailwind pushed the ship along, emanating from the gentle rainstorm, sending them faster and faster towards their goal. Tarrin was at the rail with his bow, shooting arrows in long, arcing trajectories towards small targets that hovered some three hundred paces away. Each shot took time, because of the winds and the distance involved, but he was always very close. He hit four shots out of every five. It didn't take him long to get back into form with his bow, but he still didn't feel as comfortable with it as he had at one time. The annoying pain of holding the human form was one thing that distracted him, as well as the twinge he felt at turning his back to Camara Tal to shoot over the rail. She was too far away to make him feel threatened, but that thought was always in the back of his mind.
"Look, a rainbow!" Sarraya said in wonder, flitting up to his side and pointing back to the stern. "Isn't it pretty?"
"They say that the woman who can find the end of the rainbow will have her heart's wish granted," Camara Tal mused as she came up beside the human-shaped Tarrin and looked at the rainbow.
"I know what you'd wish for," the Faerie said in a wicked tone. "A man that never gets tired."
"I'd settle for just getting my husband back," she sighed, a bit forlornly.
"Which one?"
"I may have more than one husband, but only one counts, bug," she replied. "The others are political marriages. I barely see them. They all have their own concubines, so they don't really need me."
Tarrin saw Phandebrass and Dar on the other side. Phandebrass was pointing at the rainbow, his arms making gestures as he prattled on to the young Arkisian. Dar seemed fascinated with whatever he was saying.
"A man is a man," Sarraya dug. "Especially when it's multiple choice. Do you line them up at night, or is it first come, first serve?"
"You're very close to getting your wings ripped off," Camara Tal snapped at the Faerie, putting a finger the size of the sprite's leg in her face.
"I thought you said marrying Koran Dar was political," Tarrin said. He had no doubt which husband to which she was referring. He was the only one beyond her reach.
"It was arranged, it wasn't a political marriage. We were married when we reached the age of adulthood. I really liked Koran, so I had my mother get him for me."
"Sounds like he wasn't quite so enthusiastic," Sarraya teased.
"I guess he wasn't at that," she grunted. "Koran doesn't hate me, he just wanted more out of life than being a house-husband. He was cursed with an adventurous spirit. That's a bad trait in an Amazon man."
"So why did you take him?" Tarrin asked curiously.
"I happen to like bad traits in men," she replied honestly. "If you'll excuse me, I want something to drink."
"Huf- fy," Sarraya chimed after the Amazon left.
"I think you hit a nerve there, Sarraya," Tarrin said as the sprite landed on his shoulder and sat down. "Camara Tal has some very serious feelings for Koran Dar."
"I know. She loves him, but that Amazon pride won't let her admit it. No wonder he ran away. If my husband never heard me say 'I love you,' I think he'd run away too."
"You're married?" he asked, looking down at her.
She nodded with a smile. "A hundred years next summer solstice," she replied. "Aldio is a sweetie."
"I didn't think Faeries married. I thought you were too erratic for that kind of commitment."
"Erratic?" she huffed. "Excuse me! You think someone who likes new things can't settle down with one person? That's ludicrous!"
"Sometimes I wonder," Tarrin replied. "Faeries seem too flighty to concentrate on one idea for more than a few moments, let alone a hundred years."
She smacked her heel into his upper chest. "You rat!"
Tarrin ignored her, concentrating on Dar and Phandebrass. He didn't know that the two of them talked all that much, but then again, since Dar was so charismatic and he was so pursued by the ladies on the ship, it was no wonder he sought refuge by talking with Phandebrass. "I wonder what they're talking about."
"No doubt the mage is describing the physical process of making a rainbow," Sarraya said with distaste. "Why can't humans just see the beauty in something without having to classify or quantify it?"
"You've been hanging around Dolanna again."
"She does have a vocabulary," Sarraya giggled. "Impressive for someone who's speaking a language that's not native."
"Dolanna's an impressive woman," Tarrin said respectfully.
"In what way?"
"What way would you like to hear first?" he challenged, looking down at her.
"Uh, nevermind," she said. "Looks like her mistressness is coming back."
Tarrin turned and saw Camara Tal returning. She was wearing her sword belt, and was carrying one of Faalken's older weapons, the sword he stopped using when Tarrin gave him the magical blade. "I need something to keep me busy," she said, tossing the sword to the deck in front of him.
"What is this?" Tarrin asked.
"That's a stupid question. Pick it up. I want to see how well you can handle yourself."
It was a bad idea. She didn't understand that she wasn't like Allia. Tarrin trusted Allia, and if she hurt him, he wouldn't turn on her. There wasn't any such prohibition with her. But then again, in his humanoid form, she couldn't pose any threat to him. Her weapon couldn't hurt him, and he could easily overmatch her. Besides, he needed to learn how to trust her, and maybe crossing swords with her would help break down his distrust.
"Give us some space, Sarraya," he said as the sprite flittered from his shoulder. Tarrin reached down and picked up the sword, feeling its light balance, gripping the pommel, made so the user could wield it with either one or two hands, and feeling his paw take up its entirety. He placed the blade in the palm of his other paw and looked at the sword, then looked at her. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "I'm not a human, Camara Tal. I'm way out of your league."