"I'm quite all right, I promise you," Ardlac assured him as he joined Li on their watch. His hand was bandaged and he appeared to be in pain, but Li accepted his assurances.

"I was concerned," Li admitted. "I'm happy to hear it isn't serious." They had attacked a ship carrying the flag of Dyrai that afternoon. It had turned out to be one belonging to one of its colonies, and had lacked necromancers but possessed a crew ready to fight for their lives and livelihoods. It had been a bitter fight that had left no members of the smaller ship's crew alive, and that had left nearly half the Gryphon's crew wounded to some degree, with three dead. Ardlac had been one of the less seriously wounded, but when the cut to the back of his hand had refused to stop bleeding no matter how firmly Li bound it, he had chosen to visit the ship's healers to have it seen to. Li's wounds had been mere scratches in comparison, and from what he had heard from Aricka, Garstin had nearly lost his arm.

Ardlac shrugged. "The healers needed to stitch the wound closed, and offered to permit me a night of rest instead of watch duty, but I don't feel so terrible that I can't be here."

"Very good," Li replied. "Did you hear it announced that we are making for a port in Phelin?"

Ardlac nodded. "Mond doesn't want the fruit to rot. Those grapes make for excellent wine and the berries are used in all kinds of desserts. Both are more difficult to acquire now that Dyrai possesses the Elin Islands. If we travel to Louton, there is an excellent tattooist there, or there was when we last visited. If you're still interested in one of your own, I could take you to her."

Li considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I am. Something small though. I'm not certain I want to be covered in countless tattoos like some of the others."

Ardlac chuckled. "If you consider some of the crew covered in tattoos, I hope you never visit Nairiume. I've known some who had no expanse of skin unmarked."

Li shook his head, recalling what Ardlac had previously told him about outsiders taking Nair tattoos to show they had been welcomed into the community. "Perhaps Nariume is not a place I will attempt to visit for any length of time."

Ardlac nodded. He looked a bit sad, but he gave Li a forced smile. "I don't believe I will, either."

Once the cargo was unloaded at Louton and they were given their time for leave, Li went with Ardlac to the tattooist. The streets of Louton were bustling with others tied to the sea trades, as was common in every port they had come to. In fact, not much was different from the other port cities and towns they had come to, other than the name of the town and arrangement of the streets. Like every town of its size, there were taverns, gaming houses, and brothels near the docks, just outside the offices and warehouses that held cargos that were offloaded or to be loaded onto ships and sent away. The farther they walked from the sea, the quieter the streets became and the less crowded the businesses. Shops and marketplaces dotted the town, for residents and visitors alike.

"Do the towns all become much the same to you?" Li asked Ardlac as they walked.

Ardlac chuckled. "They are often quite similar. Sailors often expect the same services regardless of what country they are visiting. There are always some differences, of course. Phelin is one of the few countries where the brothels employing male entertainers are as easy to locate as those with female ones. Another is Nairiume. They exist in nearly every port, but locating them in other countries is more difficult, as they are often unmarked and in obscure areas. They are also safer here. In some cities they are full of thieves that might give you what you want, but take every valuable you brought with you before you leave."

"Do you know this from first-hand knowledge?" Li asked, curious. He was surprised to feel just a slight touch of discomfort at the thought of Ardlac spending time in a brothel. He couldn't call it jealousy, but the thought was still strange to him. They had only been intimate a handful of times in the month since they had chosen to attempt it again. Li wasn't certain if Ardlac was afraid it might cause them pain again, but it hadn't thus far and Li was content with the infrequency of it.

"I was rather keen to destroy myself when I first joined the Gryphon," Ardlac explained. "I did avoid the places that were unsafe because I was warned against them by Seith, but at the safer ports I frequented the brothels and the taverns. It's a wonder I didn't destroy myself completely."

Li stepped closer in the crowded street and briefly gripped his hand - the one that was unwounded. "I'm sorry."

Ardlac squeezed his hand in return. "All is well, now. None of that took the pain from me, so I gave it up. I recognized that it only made things worse for me."

They arrived at a shop then, with a sign of a paintbrush above the door, and Ardlac led him inside. The shop was quiet and the walls were lined with simple drawings. A woman in a tight blue dress greeted them. Her arms and neck were adorned with colorful swirling tattoos.

"Hello my lovely sea jacks, what can I do for you?"

"My friend would like a tattoo," Ardlac replied. "It will be his first."

The woman smiled brightly and ran a hand down Li's arm. "Your first, eh?"

Li was immediately uncomfortable. "Uh, yes?"

Ardlac noticed his discomfort and ran a hand across the small of his back before settling his arm around his waist. The woman saw the gesture and took her hand away from Li, nodding.

"I am Lynti," she said, then motioned around the room. "Is there any image you see that you like, or would you like something made just for you? I can make adjustments to any of the patterns offered," she added.

In the end, Li settled for a small whale across the inside of his wrist. He found he truly enjoyed the music the whales made when they called to each other, something he could hear clearly from the Gryphon. He told himself the whale had nothing to do with how Ardlac had begun opening himself up to Li's friendship, it was simply something he thought wonderful.

Lynti used a salve that caused his skin to become numb, then began her work. It took an hour to complete, and by that time the effects of the salve began to wear off, allowing Li to feel the sting of the needle as it pierced his skin. She used a candle flame to keep it heated, and the candle had burned down significantly by the time the piece was complete.

"You'll want to keep it clean," she advised. "But I'm sure your friend will ensure you do."

Li thanked her and paid for her work, which was not nearly as terribly expensive as he had feared.

"It will be a bit painful for a short while," Ardlac warned him as they left the shop. "Once it heals it won't bother you."

"Thank you," Li told him.

When they returned to the Gryphon for their watch, the crew that was there seemed to be in an unusual state of excitement.

"Captain announced we will be joining some other ships of the fleet," Garstin explained when he saw them. "We'll be assisting in a raid against one of Dyrai's holdings." He noticed Li's tattoo and smiled. "Nice piece. You're more like a member of the crew everyday."

Li thanked him, then asked, "When are we joining the fleet?"

Garstin shrugged. "Once we've all had some leave time we will be sailing to meet them."