Ardlac had not been forgiving or all that understanding of Li's inexperience with a sword when it came to training him for three hours that day. Li was aching and nursing a few minor cuts by the end of the day. They ate a rather bland meal of boiled fish and potatoes, washed down with weak ale, then Ardlac showed him to a common area near the crew cabins.

"If you are in need of something to do between watches and sleeping, this is where the crew spends free time," Ardlac explained. "That or in their cabins."

The room was large and rather empty. A few hammocks and tables hung from the rafters and numerous benches lined the walls, most apparently lashed to the wall to prevent movement. A grid of large rectangles was painted on the floor in the center of the room, and he wondered if it was for a game of some kind. Locked cabinets and chests lined another wall, below the holes that opened to the sea air. A few of the holes appeared to be sealed with removable panels.

"How'd you luck out of workin' the unloading?"

Li was startled by the voice and focused on the dark-clad figure lounging under one of the holes. He was surprised to see the figure appeared to be a woman, though she clearly took no pains to clad her breasts in anything but her loose shirt, unlike all the women he'd seen before. Not that he was at all intrigued by that fact. Her left arm was bound in a sling while her right moved freely, tossing aside the book she'd been reading.

"Captain assigned this new cuffer as my partner," Ardlac told her.

She stood from the chest she'd been sitting on and walked up to them. She was dressed no differently than the men, down to the short sword at her side. She was also nearly a foot shorter than him. "What did you steal?" she asked.

Li was confused for a moment. "Nothing."

She snorted. "Haven't had someone deny thieving once they got here. That's why the magistrates send you here. Better than keepin' you in prison for repeated offenses. Puts you to use. How long you here for?"

He saw no issue telling her that. "Two years."

"Nothing too expensive, then, but more than a few purses. Must have been livestock. You a sheep thief?"

Li shrugged. "Whatever you want me to be." He knew claiming to be wrongly accused of murder would not aid his survival.

"Alright, shepherd," she snickered. "What's your name?"

"Li."

She nodded. "Aricka. I'm here ten years. Stole a carriage. After a bit they start to forget you're even here for a sentence and treat you like real crew. Maybe not in two years, though," she added. "Took me three before Mond started givin' me a full share of the prize money. You'll be lucky if he ever gives you enough to buy a drink or a whore in port. And I ain't one of those, in case you're gettin' any ideas. Stabbed the last man who got frisky."

He held up a hand. "I'm not getting any ideas, even if you offered."

She looked him up and down. "Well then, good. Judgin' you won't be having fun in the bunk with Ard either. He ain't ready for another one yet."

Li wasn't comfortable with the way she was talking about the man who was standing just there, until he realized Ardlac had walked back toward the stairs to the deck.

"He doesn't want me here," Li told her. "That's very clear. So I won't be doing anything with him, either. If he tries to touch me I'll stab him myself."

Aricka's expression became a scowl. "Parners who assault theirs are severely punished. He'd have his own special male anatomy shoved down his own throat before bein' tossed to the sharks. But he ain't as mean as he acts, promise. He's hurt bad now. Not sure he will ever get over his last partner's death. I ain't never been his partner, so I don't know, but I would stay away when you can so he can heal without hurtin' you. Don't want the new crew to jump overboard because his partner is a bully."

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Li shrugged. "I will do my best." He was a bit afraid, to be honest, of all the crew aboard. He wondered how they would treat him, or if he'd ever find any friends to make the next two years easier. He knew it certainly wouldn't be Ardlac.

"Whatever routine for sleep that you had on land, forget you knew it."

Li stepped back into their cabin, uneasy until Ardlac lit a hanging lamp.

"Our watches are midnight and midday, for four marks of the ship's dial. It varies a bit with the weather and angle of the sun. The bell tolls for each watch change. I don't sleep often before the midnight watch. If you wish to rest I'll return for you."

Li nodded. "I will."

Ardlac said nothing more before turning to leave, closing the door behind him. Li sighed and removed his shoes before settling on the bunk. The mattress was straw and he hoped contained no biting insects. He took his blanket from his chest and lay down, staring at the wooden rafters above him, glowing in the lantern's light.

He realized suddenly that he could hear the water lapping outside the ship. He hadn't noticed it before, but as he lay quietly it became soothing. He noted the way the lantern swayed just slightly, suggesting that the ship moved a bit on the water, even fastened to the docks. He'd never been on any ship before, and wondered what it felt like to be moving under sail.

He also heard the other people on the ship all around him. Most of the sound came from above. Laughter, footsteps, even music and singing. It seemed the cargo had all been offloaded and everyone was free of their work. The sounds from the docks had begun to lessen, as well. Somewhere, a horse trotted by.

There was a gentle creaking, as well, as if the ship itself were alive and breathing. Despite everything, Li found it, too, comforting. If he could only be confined to this room and not forced to endure Ardlac's presence he could accept his fate. If he could not live with Ash any longer, this confinement would be acceptable.

Then, from somewhere among the hall of cabins, he caught the unmistakable sounds of sexual activity. That, perhaps, was not something he wished to hear, not when it brought to mind memories of his own lost lover.

He rolled onto his side and put his hand on the interior wall of the ship. Soothed by the sound of the sea, he surrendered to his grief.

He wasn't certain when he fell asleep, but it didn't seem long before someone shook him awake. He turned to find Ardlac towering over him. Before either of them spoke, a bell tolled, echoed by others on other ships at the docks.

"That's the warning to take our watch," Ardlac explained. "We only have a short time to get there before roll is noted. If you need to piss, do it after we've been counted."

Li sat up and pulled his shoes back on, and his new sword, which he only vaguely remembered removing from his hip. He followed Ardlac to the deck. Others went with them, while still others were coming down from the deck, ending their watch.

The night sky was bright with stars, and watch fires blazed on every ship at the docks, even the smallest trading vessels. A man who was clearly an officer was standing near the stairs, making notes as people came onto the deck. He looked at Li for a moment.

"You must be the new cuffer Captain said was here."

It was the second time Li had heard the word, and he still wasn't certain what it meant. "I'm Li. I don't know what a cuffer is."

The man snorted. "It's what you are," he replied, then motioned for him to keep moving.

"It's a term for a criminal sentenced to the fleet," someone said.

Li turned to see a man perhaps ten years his senior walking by his side. He had far more tattoos than Ardlac, all strange designs instead of lines, and his right ear was pierced nearly full of earrings. Even his right eyebrow sported three hoops.

Li nodded to him. "Thank you."

"I see they stuck you with Ardlac," the man went on. "Hope you manage to cheer him up a bit. Man hasn't been himself in months."

"Shut it, Garstin," Ardlac warned.

Garstin held up his hands. "Just trying to welcome him. We know you haven't. Bad enough he has to serve his sentence this way, doubly worse partnered with you. Maybe our new cuffer will help you find some peace."

Li was confused again. "I don't know how I'd be any help, anyway." Not to someone who clearly didn't want to be his friend, at least.

Garstin snorted. "Partners usually have certain arrangements. Not always, but most end up lovers eventually. Sometimes it's only for a while, until they find others willing to change partners, but most of us get along quite well."

That idea again?

"I don't see that happening," Li replied.

"Don't like men?" Garstin asked.

Li felt very uncomfortable. "What I like is no one's concern but my own."

Garstin held his hands up again. "Very well."

"Come," Ardlac grumbled. "I need to teach you about the watch."

Li followed, feeling a bit guilty about his harsh response to Garstin. Now he knew, however, what being a partner was expected to entail, and Ardlac knew he wanted no part of it. Not with anyone at all.