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Hour -1
The Blackwick Group gathered on the deck of the Jade Moon, taking in the last of the air before the call to return inside. Marn took a deep breath in of the sun-warmed air, letting it out in a rush and bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.
“Oh it’s going to be so much fun!” said Marn.
She was trying to conserve her energy for the dance marathon - after all, the poster implied that it would run for all three days they were supposed to stay inside, which was a lot of dancing - but the prospect of it was such a fun idea. She didn’t get the opportunity to do something so frivolous in any of her jobs, and the opportunity to win some money in something other than false war wasn’t bad either.
Lyke, who’d positioned a chair on the deck so he could sit with his feet resting up on the railings, tipped his hat back to grin at her. He’d been the first to agree to join her in the competition, followed by everyone except Pickman who had very kindly offered to sit out the fun and babysit instead.
“Yeah, I love these things,” said Lyke.
“Wait,” said Duvall, “You’ve done one of these before? When?”
“Oh, y’know, here and there,” said Lyke, waving a hand.
“I think that kind of gives you an unfair advantage,” said Duvall.
“I hardly think Lyke and I will be the only participants who have previously entered a dance marathon,” said Es.
“And you’ve done it too?!” said Duvall. He glared at Lyke. “No wonder you picked her as your partner.”
Lyke made a face. “Well Bucho already asked Marn, and you practically jumped on Chine-”
A few bees escaped Duvall’s collar, circling his head. “I did not jump on them!”
“So if you think about it, I gave you first pick,” continued Lyke over the top of him. He paused. “I mean, she’s the best dancer I know so I would have asked her anyway , but-”
Es laughed and Lyke turned towards her, smiling. Like Lyke, Es had her feet up albeit on a small footstool she’d comendered rather than the ship’s railing. Marn wondered if that was some kind of secret trick dance marathoners knew and hurriedly sat down. Her feet wouldn’t reach the footstool or the railing, but they didn’t reach the floor either, so she could only hope the weightlessness would have the same effect.
“All that means is that our group has the advantage,” said Marn. “After all, it means we can help each other out there, and share the winnings if one of us wins!”
“Yeah,” said Duvall, looking directly at Lyke.
“What? I already agreed to share!” said Lyke.
“That was before I knew you’d hidden your past experience about this,” said Duvall.
“I didn’t hide it, you just didn’t ask ,” said Lyke. “Maybe someone else does too. What about you Chine, any dance marathons in your past?”
Chine huffed a laugh. “Do family weddings count?”
“No, but I do think they get you some advantage,” said Es.
“Oh in that case I have some past experience too,” said Marn. “That’s good to know.” She paused, trying not to fidget before she looked up at Bucho. “What about you?”
“Well they don’t call me two-step for nothing,” said Bucho, smiling. “Though I’m afraid I don’t know a lot of dances, or none that I’d want to do for more than a day.”
“That’s good enough for me,” said Marn. “I only know a few country dances.”
“Nothing wrong with country dances,” said Chine.
“Yeah,” said Lyke. He made a face. “But, uh. My advice would be to save the wild stuff. People flare out early trying to be impressive, when really you just have to keep moving.”
“Yes,” said Es, smoothing her hands along her skirts. “And the faster you can make yourself fall asleep on the breaks the better.”
“You don’t think it’ll go that long, do you?” said Marn.
Lyke and Es exchanged a look.
“I mean, it’s advertised as running for three days but surely it won’t really run that long,” said Marn.
“Well…” said Es. “Sometimes they can go for a while.”
“How long is a while?” said Duvall.
“Couple months,” said Lyke.
“A couple of- A couple of months ?” said Duvall.
“Yeah, but they have to provide you meals and stuff,” said Lyke. “Not a bad between-jobs thing.”
“Uh huh, sure,” said Duvall. “Hey, Pickman, you don’t want to switch from babysitting duty, do you?”
Pickman, who had been trying to wrangle Chine’s child off of the railing for the past ten minutes as a kind of practice babysitting, looked towards the group. “Absolutely not.”
The bees dropped from their circle above to Duvall’s stiff hair. “I thought so.”
Chine put a hand on Duvall’s shoulder. “Hey, it won’t be so bad. Just lean on me if you start getting tired.”
Duvall swallowed, not seeming as reassured by that as Marn would have thought. “Right.”
“Yeah,” said Lyke, “Just lean on them.”
Duvall glared at him again, seeming a little more steady.
“But don’t lean too much,” said Es. “They’ll have people watching for dancers who stop moving for too long.”
“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” said Pickman. “It’s just a dance competition. I trust you all to have the good sense to bow out before you collapse.”
“Of course we will,” said Lyke, “but I’m not going to collapse.” He paused. “Or, not before Duvall does, anyway.”
“What- Why target me?” spluttered Duvall.
“I dunno, you targeted me first,” said Lyke.
Es hummed, hiding a smile behind her hand.
“We shouldn’t think of any of us in competition with each other,” said Marn. “Any one of us who wins, we split the prize as a group, right?”
“Well…” said Lyke.
“Agreed,” said Pickman.
“You’re not dancing,” said Duvall.
“But I am still part of this group and still get a vote in it,” said Pickman. “Do you not agree?”
She managed to pull the child from the railing, it’s arms and legs wriggling in the air for a moment before she set it down. It immediately began crawling up her body, draping itself across her broad shoulders. It turned it’s face to Duvall, it’s wide eyes shining in the setting sun.
Duvall sighed. “No, I agree.”
“So do I,” said Lyke, “Obviously.”
“Good,” said Marn.
She put her hand out to the middle of the group. Bucho made to shake her hand, his enormous one enveloping her’s, at the same moment as Lyke, Chine, Duvall and Es reached out, their hands overlaying each other’s on top of Bucho’s. Marn smiled, her whiskers twitching.
“Agreed,” said Marn.
Hour 5
“They’re still going?” asked Pickman.
Hazard stretched their arms over his head. “Yeah, well, I mean, it’s only been a few hours.”
“A few hours of dancing ,” said Pickman, adjusting her grip on the child.
It had been sequestered in her room with her for the first few hours. Luckily, Chine had managed to convince it to go down for a nap before they left to take part in the nonsense competition, and she’d been able to keep it entertained a little after it woke up, but it only took a short time for it to start scratching a the door and making mournful noises that sounded like Chine’s name.
The corridors of the Jade Moon were empty, unusually dark thanks to the boards over every window and the thick curtains, stopping even the tiniest traces of light from outside. She wasn’t sure of the time without the sky as a guide, but it felt as though it must be midnight or a little past it.’
Pickman paused at the doors to the main room. She could hear music coming from inside, and voices, and underneath that the sound of fast-moving feet. Keeping a tight hold on the child she pushed the door open. Inside, the main dining room had been transformed into a ballroom, the chairs and tables stacked to one side, with a small stage set up for the musicians. The dance floor was crowded with couples and the edges of the dance floor was equally crowded with onlookers.
Despite Lyke and Es’ words earlier she’d expected the dance to be wrapping up, but instead it hardly looked as though anyone had dropped out at all. Even the band barely looked tired, though it did seem as though they had a few extra members waiting to the side to swap out.
Chine and Duvall passed by, Chine pivoting them to dance close enough that he could reach out to touch the child. It made a pleased noise, almost wriggling out of her grip in an attempt to climb on them.
Chine laughed. “No, no, you’ve gotta stay with Aunt Pickman, okay?”
The child gave a garbled response, and Chine nodded thoughtfully.
“I know, but it won’t be for too much longer,” said Chine.
“Tired already?” said Hazard, a grin in their tone.
“I’ll stick around for as long as Duvall wants,” said Chine.
The bees that were trailing after Duvall’s swaying form zig zagged in the air. A few landed in Chine’s hair, their wings fluttering.
“I’m staying as long as it takes to beat Lyke,” said Duvall.
Pickman looked over at Lyke and Es, who, despite their earlier warnings to avoid dramatics, were doing some kind of complicated swing dance to the delight of the onlookers and, judging by their expressions, each other. If anything they looked more energised than they had to begin with.
“You might have your work cut out for you there,” said Hazard.
“I don’t care,” said Duvall. “All it takes is for him to get bad luck.”
“What if you get it instead of him?” asked Hazard.
“Who’s side are you on?!” said Duvall.
Hazard raised their hands. “Hey, don’t take it out on me.” She paused. “Literally, that’s a disqualifying action if you yell too much at me. I’m one of the judges, remember? I’m not on anyone’s side but the boat’s right now. Speaking of, I should probably hustle you guys along. I don’t want you to get kicked out for staying in one place too long even if you are talking to me.”
“Sure, sure,” said Duvall.
Chine ruffled a hand through the child’s needle-like hair. “Okay kiddo, you be good okay?”
The child nipped at their fingers, but it did stop trying to escape Pickman’s arms. Hazard nodded to her as they stepped away, making a slow route around the dance floor, keeping pace with the other judges.
Pickman watched the dancers for a few minutes. Es and Lyke continued their fast-paced style, almost colliding with other couples several times. Marn and Bucho were engaged in a much more careful and slow-moving waltz, deep in conversation. Chine and Duvall looked as though they were both doing a different kind of dance to one another, almost tripping over each other’s feet. Then again, she didn’t know much about dancing. Most of her dancing years had been spent trapped in a train.
She hadn’t really danced much as a youth either, not in any formal way like this. Back then it had mostly been jumping around by a fire or in the shallow water, more about moving than as part of a formalised set of steps. She’d been more interested in running and climbing. She’d been more interested in going into business with her father, or for herself. She’d been more interested in the allure of the train.
One of the people trapped there with her had been a former dancer. Pickman had a vague memory of the woman trying to teach her the steps of something slow in-between their escape attempts, and then she’d died during one of them. Probably for the best, she’d been crumbling when Pickman had got on board and who knew how long she’d been there. The dance had felt too slow for Pickman’s liking, in any case.
She felt someone come to stand beside her and she took stock of them without moving her head. Alekest leant back against the wall next to her, looking a little smaller without his armour.
“I’m surprised that you didn’t choose to take part in this competition,” said Pickman.
“I lacked a partner,” said Alekest.
“I’m sure you could have found one,” said Pickman.
“Perhaps,” said Alekest. “What about you?”
Pickman wrinkled her nose.
Alekest laughed. “Not one for dancing?”
“ No ,” said Pickman.
“Ah well,” said Alekest easily, “no one thing can be for everyone.”
Pickman let out a breath through her nose, her eyes going to Marn and Bucho. Bucho spun Marn around, very slowly, like they were both still learning how to do it, before he brought her back towards him. Their smiles never wavered.
“I suppose there are worse ways to waste time.”
Hour 20
Chine could feel Duvall begin to drift off again. The bees were the giveaway before the man - they’d settle in Chine’s hair and slip under his collar, nestling in the hair on their back. It was soothing, especially when a great number of them got in there, vibrating like the purring of some great animal.
Still nice, even if he wasn’t in as much of a position to enjoy it. Twenty odd hours of dancing felt a lot more tiring than twenty hours of walking through the forest. It was probably early morning now, they thought, the sun just beginning to come up, the air still cool enough to see steam rising from the water and for breath to cloud in front of your face. The hot air of the day had been trapped inside the ballroom when they’d closed up the doors and windows of the Jade Moon, the space made all the hotter by the people crowded inside of it, the people moving around, dancing.
Duvall’s head lolled against Chine’s shoulder and they adjusted their grip around his waist. The judges were still circling, though less vigilantly than they had been in the first few hours, and he’d heard from Es in passing that short bouts of dozing on the dance floor got overlooked as long as you managed to keep moving your feet. For his part, Duvall insisted that Chine wake him before he hit the ground. The man had some kind of internal competition with Lyke about which of them could stay in the longest, though honestly they weren’t entirely sure if Lyke was aware of it.
Lyke himself seemed only to have flagged a little, he and Es swapping their swing dancing for a slow tango, still occasionally dipping one another scandalously enough to draw a few gasps from the sleepy crowd. They looked to be keeping up a conversation with one another too, maybe as some kind of technique to keep themselves awake, maybe just because moving made them feel more talkative.
Marn and Bucho were a little quieter. At some point Marn had swapped positions to put her feet on Bucho’s, letting him swing them both around the floor. She might not have been saying much, but every time Chine looked over she was smiling up at Bucho and he was smiling down at her. They supposed that shape knights and keens didn’t have a lot of opportunities for dancing.
Then again, neither did cleavers or… whatever Duvall would consider himself to be at the moment. Still an explorer, maybe. That’s how he’d introduced himself to them, way back when, explorer and gadabout Mr Meyer Leopold Duvall, at your service . Chine chuckled. They’d told him that that was an awfully long name to call someone by every time and Duvall’s cheeks had gone as pink as a sunset. He’d swapped to just Duvall after that, the implication of a longer title sticking around the corners of his mouth.
The Duvall of the present day mumbled something sleepily. Chine shook him slightly, pressing back on Duvall’s waist until the other man stood a little straighter.
“‘M awake,” said Duvall.
“Mm hmm,” said Chine.
Duvall’s eyes were still closed. “Is Lyke still in it?”
“Yep,” said Chine. “We’re all still in it.”
“Good,” said Duvall. “Great.”
Chine hummed. “We’re getting a break soon, they said. In the next hour. You get to lie down and everything.”
He could feel Duvall’s body slump in relief.
“You can keep leaning on me until then if you want,” said Chine. “I don’t mind.”
Duvall might not have had the blood flow to blush as easily anymore but there were still plenty of tells - the quick press together of his lips, the way his hands twitched where they were resting on Chine’s shoulders, the way the bees that had landed on Chine rose up and then came back down again quickly, like they were getting mixed messages from their host. They grinned.
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” said Duvall.
“You’re never any kind of imposition,” said Chine. “And even if you were I don’t mind it from you.”
The wings of Duvall’s bees fluttered. Chine could feel the vibration of their hum, the pitch rising and falling.
“I wouldn’t want to fall asleep and accidentally get us eliminated,” said Duvall.
“I’ll keep you awake,” said Chine.
They were close enough that they could just make out the barest tint on Duvall’s cheekbones, a slight darkening of colour somewhere under the wax.
“I-” A press of the lips, a flutter of wings and the bees resettled in Chine’s hair. “Well, thank you.”
“My absolute pleasure,” said Chine, enjoying themselves. “You know I always like to help out a friend like you.”
Duvall swallowed. “Yes.”
Chine paused, his eyes following the line of Duvall’s throat as he swallowed again.
“You know, Pickman’s still babysitting,” said Chine. “So if we did get kicked out of the competition right now we’d have the room to ourselves.”
Across the other side of the ballroom, just visible through the other couples, Es dipped Lyke low to the ground. Lyke let out a sharp bark of laughter, drawing Duvall’s attention. The bee’s hum rose and fell sharply.
“I- can we just hold out here a little longer?” said Duvall. “Unless- you’re not hurt or anything, are you?”
Chine laughed. “Nah, it takes more than a little bit of dancing to take me out. I can keep going as long as you want.”
“I- Okay. Good. Sure,” said Duvall.
Chine laughed again, splaying the hand that was on Duvall’s lower back out wide and drawing Duvall in close to him. He could feel the wax of Duvall’s body rub off on their skin, melting a little with the heat of their palm. Despite the wasmth of the room Duvall shivered, his eyes dark as he looked up at them.
“But- later?” said Duvall. “If, um. If Pickman’s still okay to babysit, I mean. And if you feel like it, obviously, I mean, you’re the main part of it.”
“One of,” said Chine. They paused. “And if Pickman doesn’t want to babysit, I’m sure we can convince one of the others. Maybe Lyke’ll do it, since you’ll beat him.”
A smile spread over Duvall’s face. “Hey, yeah.” He paused. “I, uh. I’d like that.”
“Good,” said Chine, “so would I.”
Hour 41
“Break time!” called Hazard. “Fifteen minutes!”
There was a flurry of activity from the dance floor - dancers who had been slumped over and clinging to one another moments ago leapt towards the beds set up against one of the walls, some pulling off outer clothing before slipping under the covers, others simply flopping down as they were.
She’d had a break herself a little while ago - judges got a few hours of sleep instead of a handful of minutes - but even so she took the opportunity to sit down, leaning back in her chair so she could prop her feet up under the table, out of sight of the guests. Staff weren’t supposed to show being tired, they’d gotten a whole lecture about it along with the rules of the dance competition, something about potentially influencing the competitors. If they’d had eyes in the traditional sense they would have rolled them. After a full day of dancing people didn’t need to be influenced to be tired, they were tired.
Hazard flexed his feet, looking over the remaining dancers. They were down to about half now, some of whom had come back to watch and others who had retired to their rooms for a longer rest. The Blackwick group were among those who remained, perhaps not as lively as they’d been at the start of things but still going strong.
Only that Duvall fellow kept falling asleep on the dance floor, but it was a light doze, not enough to get him kicked out of the competition just yet. It helped that he had a strong partner to hold him up when it seemed like he was drifting off. The Shape Knight, Bucho, he’d been doing a similar thing with Marn, though their bigger height difference made it a little more obvious. Lyke and Es had managed to barely fall asleep on the floor at all, but Lyke had told her that was because they’d both learnt how to fall asleep instantly during breaks.
It did seem to be true - they were both lying down, the pillow propped under their feet and fully clothed on top of the covers with their eyes closed, before most of the other competitors had even made it to the beds. When the bell rang again for the dance to start back up, their eyes would snap open and they’d push themselves up, one of the first couples back on the floor.
“Not our first rodeo,” Lyke had told them as they passed by.
“Though we’ve never actually won,” said Es.
“Well, free food, free board, dancing with you,” said Lyke. “Who needs winning when I’ve already won?”
Es had laughed, ducking her head a little, resting it for a moment on Lyke’s shoulder. Hazard kept a slow pace with them around the outside of the dance floor.
“You’ll have to excuse him,” said Es. “He tends to get a little sentimental after the first twenty-four hours. He’s like this on delves too. It’s the exhaustion.”
“You make it sound like I don’t mean it,” said Lyke, frowning slightly. “I mean every word I say.”
“You always do,” said Es. “It’s what makes you so effective in business negotiations and situations where we need to get out of business negotiations.”
“Well sometimes what I mean changes after I see what we’re delving for,” said Lyke. “Sometimes I want it.”
“I know,” said Es. “I like that about you.”
“I me that about me too,” said Lyke with a grin.
He spun them around in a tight circle, startling a laugh out of Es.
“It sounds like a pretty dangerous way to do business,” said Hazard.
“It is pretty exciting, yeah,” said Lyke. “You see a lot of new places if you always have to leave town fast.”
“We don’t always have to leave town fast,” said Es.
“Yeah,” said Lyke. “We’ve mellowed since we joined up with the others. They’re a very stabilising presence.”
Hazard looked from Lyke to Es. Lyke’s expression and tone seemed entirely genuine. Es, on the other hand, seemed to be on the edge of bursting into laughter, pressing her lips together and biting the inside of her cheek.
“Yes,” said Es at last. “Very stable.” She turned them so that she was facing Hazard. “I’m sure you find the same thing, working here, the routine of it all.”
“I guess,” said Hazard. She paused for a moment before adding, “I’ll be looking for a new thing soon since, y’know, they’re scuttling the boat after we finish up this trip.”
“A new thing, huh?” said Lyke, turning so that he was looking at Hazard.
“Yeah,” said Hazard. “You know of anything going?”
“Just us,” said Lyke. “We’re going.”
Hazard blinked. “You are?”
Es spun Lyke out, the movement turning them so that she was the one facing Hazard again. “We’d have to check with the others but I can’t imagine anyone would object to your presence in our little group.”
“I can,” said Lyke, his voice a little rough around the edges as he raised it so he could be heard from where he was facing away from them, “but only for stupid reasons. You seem like a good kind of a person to have on our side.”
“What side?” said Hazard.
“We’ll tell you later,” said Es. ”It’s kind of a long story and I’d like more than fifteen minutes of sleep before I tell it.”
“I guess that’s fair,” said Hazard.
“And you can tell us yours,” said Lyke.
“Tell you what?”
“Your long story,” said Lyke.
“What long story?” said Hazard.
“Y’know, your long story,” said Lyke, “everyone’s got one.”
“Not me,” said Hazard.
“I mean, probably you, yeah,” said Lyke. “You wear a big mask all the time.”
“You just met me,” said Hazard. “Maybe this is just what my face always looks like.”
Lyke wrinkled his nose. “Maybe, but I don’t think so. You’ve got a different vibe to people I’ve met like that.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to compare every mask-wearing person we meet to Dyre Ode,” said Es.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Lyke. He paused. “Except for right now.”
“Who’s Dyre Ode?” asked Hazard. “Are they in your group too?”
“Oh, no, they’re just… a friend of ours,” said Es. “They- had other business to attend to.”
“I’ll say,” said Lyke.
Es shushed him, but there was a smile hovering at the edge of her lips. Hazard rocked back on their heels for a moment, watching them turn in a slow circle until Lyke was facing her once again.
“So?” said Lyke.
“So what ?” said Hazard.
“So did you want to join our group?” asked Lyke.
The travel from place to place would be good, a way to keep looking without drawing too much attention to themselves. Plus it was better to jump from one job to another than to stay on a literal sinking ship.
“I… yeah, maybe,” said Hazard, because it seemed foolish to say yes straight away no matter how much they wanted to. “Let me think it over before you talk to everybody.”
“Okay,” said Lyke, his voice taking on the same tone of a seller in a market who knows you’ll be back for their overpriced trinkets. “Take your time.”
“He does mean that,” said Es, still smiling a little.
“Yeah, I’m getting that,” said Hazard.
Lyke and Es both laughed. As though with one mind, they changed positions, Es spinning around and then spinning Lyke around in turn before they came back together. They rested their heads on one-another’s shoulders, their bodies still moving through the simple steps of the waltz.
They wouldn’t mind being in a group like that, thought Hazard. Might be nice to have some back-up, for a change.
Hour 50
Duvall had begun to drift. It had started slowly, feeling the bees leave him gradually, settling on Chine, or on the plates of leftovers after they’d bring out food, or on the drooping bouquets of flowers set out on the bar, until it felt as though there was barely a handful left inside him. He could feel the threads of honeycomb through his body like they were empty corridors of a manor house, like the echo of where movement should have been. The few bees that remained with him had settled in his hair or just below his collar, their wings barely fluttering.
That part of things, at least, he understood. Sleep threatened to pull him under every time he blinked. He was sure that he had fallen asleep, enough that Chine shook him awake a little occasionally, their voice an amused sort of rumble next to Duvall’s ear. He was so tired he didn’t even have the energy to be embarrassed by the closeness of their positions let alone that he’d draped himself over them in so public a setting.
Most of the other remaining couples - just a few remaining now - were the same. Marn and Bucho were still struggling on, Marn very obviously falling asleep against Bucho’s chest in much the same way Duvall was against Chine’s. Some of the other couples were fairing even worse, barely managing to hold their partners up and occasionally being disqualified when they could no longer do so and they fell to the ground, still out cold.
Lyke, annoyingly, still looked awake. He and Es both had the nerve to even look refreshed after the fifteen minute breaks. Duvall had grown to hate them - if anything he felt better rested after momentarily closing his eyes against Chine’s chest. The second he laid down he felt as though he’d never get to sleep, let alone within the allotted fifteen minutes. It was ridiculous to think anyone could, and yet here was Lyke, pretending that such a thing was possible. It was their luck conversation all over again. Well, this time, Lyke wouldn’t beat him. This time, luck would be on his side, or else he’d beat luck at it’s own game.
“I don’t know if that’s possible,” said Chine.
“If what is?” asked Duvall.
“Beating luck at it’s own game,” said Chine.
With great effort, Duvall tilted his face up to look at them. “How’d you know what I was thinking?”
“Because you said it out loud,” said Chine.
“No I didn’t,” said Duvall. “Those were my thoughts.”
“Well you’re saying them out loud,” said Chine.
“Am I?” said Duvall. “Are you sure?”
Chine’s expression crinkled with amusement. Duvall resisted the urge to reach up and smoothe a hand over his whiskers.
“Pretty sure, yeah,” said Chine. “Are you sure that you don’t want to call it?”
Duvall twisted around to check if Lyke was still up and moving. He was, unfortunately, letting Es spin him around before coming back towards her, putting his arms around her waist and holding her close. She clasped her hands around his neck, moving even closer. They didn’t even have the decency to look all that tired. Irritation spluttered in Duvall’s chest like a candle fighting against the wind.
Chine chuckled, the warmth of it breaking Duvall out of his daze. He looked back up at them, his eyes drifting to the upwards curl of his lips, the crinkles at the corners of their eyes, the amused wriggle of their nose. It was longer now, since Sapodilla, less humanoid and more like something else. There was something entrancing about that. It made Duvall feel like a moth, drawn closer to something unknown. Then again, Chine had always made him feel like that, even before he’d been to the city, even before he himself had begun to change into something unknown.
Chine’s smile widened. “Well, that’s awful kind of you, I suppose.”
“What is?” said Duvall.
“What you just said about being a moth,” said Chine. “I neve thought of myself as anybody’s candle before.”
Duvall blinked. “What?”
Chine huffed a laugh. “And you’re sure you want to keep going? You’re practically talking in your sleep.”
“Lyke hasn’t dropped out yet,” said Duvall.
“No,” said Chine with a sigh, “I don’t suppose he has.”
“I want to beat him,” said Duvall. “I want to win.”
“There’s a few more people in it right now than just Lyke,” said Chine.
“I know,” said Duvall, “but-”
“But he’s the one you want to beat, I know,” said Chine. “I just hope he doesn’t have the same attitude or we’re all going to get very wet when they scuttle the boat.”
“What?”
“You know,” said Chine, “if we’re still out here dancing by the time we get there.”
Duvall felt like his mind had been replaced by honey, his thoughts pushing their way slowly through his mind to reach his lips. “Oh. Right. Yeah. Well, I’m sure he’ll give up before then.”
“You sure?” said Chine.
“Of course I’m sure,” said Duvall. “He’s stubborn but I’m stubborner. I’m more stubborn, is what I mean.”
“Right,” said Chine. They paused. “Are you… does he know that you’re trying to outlast him?”
“Sure,” said Duvall.
Chine gave them a look.
“I mean, of course he does,” said Duvall. “He’s always competing with me in this kind of stuff.”
“Okay,” said Chine slowly. “What about Es?”
“I’m sure she knows too,” said Duvall. “He tells her everything.”
Chine raised his eyebrows. “ Everything ?”
“Eventually,” said Duvall. “I mean, he tells everyone everything eventually. He’s terrible at keeping anything secret.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” said Chine.
“Oh?” said Duvall, feeling his eyes slide closed again. “What do you have that’s secret?”
“I’ll tell you later,” said Chine. “Once you’ve had enough sleep to keep your thoughts to yourself.”
Hour 63
“That’s another couple down,” said Es quietly.
Lyke forced his eyes open, looking in the direction Es’ head was tilting. It looked like both halves of a couple had fallen asleep against one another, sliding to the floor in perfect unison.
“That looks pretty nice right about now,” said Lyke.
“You could always tap out,” said Es.
“And leave you to forfeit?” said Lyke. “Nah, I can stick it out. Besides, a few more people and it’ll just be our group and then it doesn’t matter who wins.”
“That might be a problem,” said Es.
“What do you mean?”said Lyke.
“Duvall’s going to stay in as long as you do,” said Es.
Lyke looked over to where Duvall was swaying on his feet, stumbling into’s Chine’s chest. It seemed to rouse him a little and he blinked, a single bee circling his head lazily before it landed back on his collar.
“What do you mean?” asked Lyke again.
“I mean what I said,” said Es. “He thinks you’re in competition.”
“We are,” said Lyke. “We’re in a dance competition.”
“No, you're in a dance competition,” said Es. “Duvall is in a two person endurance contest.”
Lyke frowned. “Are you sure?”
Es nodded, lifting her hand to spin Lyke out slowly before bringing their bodies back together. The change in movement helped wake him a little.
“I overheard him say as much to Chine,” said Es. “Plus, he talked an awful lot about it before we started.”
“Oh, that stuff was just talk,” said Lyke.
“To you,” said Es.
“But why , it’s not like- Oh ,” said Lyke. “The luck thing.”
“It did seem so,” said Es, with a sigh. “You should never have riled him up about that.”
“I didn’t mean to,” said Lyke. “I just got lucky. That could happen to anybody.”
“Spoken like a man who plays with loaded dice,” said Es.
“Only on special occasions,” said Lyke. “I always use regular dice with Duvall.”
“ Always ?” asked Es.
“Always,” said Lyke, giving a little nod. ”He’s way more annoyed if I’m honestly lucky, so it’s way more fun to beat him that way.”
Es laughed. The sound helped Lyke to feel a little more awake too.
“So I guess that means I’ll have to lose on purpose if we don’t want to be here when the ship goes down,” said Lyke. He made a face. “Kind of sucks for you though - If I’d known I would have partnered with him instead of against him. That way you wouldn’t have to lose or dance forever.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Es.
Lyke blinked. Whenever Es said that it felt like being hit by a little bit of lightning, whether it was in the middle of a delve or over drinks in some dusty saloon. If Es had been thinking about something it meant he was about to hear the kind of plan he usually agreed with, or at least one that was fun to be talked into.
“You have?”
“Of course,” said Es. ”I have to think of something to keep my mind off my feet.”
“Oh, you should have said so,” said Lyke.
He slid his arm around her waist and dipped her low enough that her feet came off the floor for a moment. Es laughed, her nails scraping slightly against the back of his neck. Lyke shivered, bringing them both back up slowly, still keeping one arm tight around her waist to let her lean against him.
“Thank you,” said Es. “But a more permanent solution is the more practical one.”
“I don’t think it’s as serious as that ,” said Lyke.
“I- We’re not going to kill him,” said Es. “We’re just going to fake him out enough that he’ll drop out.”
Lyke wrinkled his nose. “I dunno, I mean, if he wants to beat me so bad he’ll probably be pretty mad if I win. If we win, I mean.”
“Oh, that’s the other part of it,” said Es. “We won’t win.”
“So who’ll win?” said Lyke.
Es tilted her head towards one of the few remaining couples. Lyke followed her gaze. Marn and Bucho were continuing onwards, their eyes closed but their feet still moving.
“Oh,” said Lyke. “Huh, yeah. He wouldn’t be mad about that, I don’t think.” He paused. “Wait, if you don’t want to win then why don’t we just drop out and then he’ll drop out.”
“Well…” Es pressed her lips together. “I suppose I’m a little competitive too. I don’t mind losing if it’s on my terms.”
“I don’t mind losing on your terms either,” said Lyke.
Es smiled. It was the wide, sleepy-eyed one, the one he normally saw half-pressed against a pillow very early in the morning or very late at night. Catching a glimpse of it outside that felt like hearing a very rare and closely-guarded secret. He smiled back, lifting a hand to spin Es out and pull her back in again. She came in closer that he’d been expecting, her free hand against his chest. She leant her head there, just for a moment, and Lyke slid an arm around her waist.
He could feel the edge of her corset, the fabric there slightly damp with sweat, the only hint that Es might be feeling the effect of her many layers after so long. Her fingers toyed a little with his suspenders, making him feel aware of the sweat there, where they pressed the fabric of his shirt tight to his body.
“I’m going to be glad to get these things off,” said Lyke. “I don’t know why you made me wear them anyway.”
“For luck,” said Es. “You wore them the other times we’ve done this.”
“Yeah but we’ve never won,” said Lyke.
“I thought I heard once that dancing with me was like winning?” said Es, a smile at the edge of her lips.
“Oh, well, yeah,” said Lyke. “But I can do that without the suspenders.”
“I’d rather you do it with them,” said Es.
“Why?”
“Because I like them,” said Es. “I think they look very becoming on you.”
Lyke grinned. “Oh, well, in that case I guess they’re not so bad. I can wear them for a little while longer.”
Hour 70
It had taken longer than Es had expected to outlast the other couples. She was glad Marn was as stubborn as Duvall was, managing to hold on long enough that it was just their little group left. There was a small crowd, their attention close enough that there was a little gasp from them as it looked as though she and Lyke were exiting the competition. Duvall’s grip on Chine’s shirt loosened and he sank to the ground, not totally unconscious but enough that he let his knees touch the floor for too long - by this point she knew the judges would be looking for any excuse to call it. After all, they were about to open up the boat to the outside world again.
The moment she was certain Duvall and Chine she reached up, cupping a hand to Lyke’s cheek.
He blinked down at her. “That’s it?”
Es let out a breath. “I’d like very much to go to bed.”
Lyke let out a breath in a rush. “God, me too. Let’s sit down.”
The casualness of his tone made her laugh. She took his hand, leading him towards one of the seats and sitting down with as much finality as her tired body could muster. Lyke flopped down beside her, limbs flailing dramatically.
“We’re out!” said Lyke, his voice cracking with tiredness. “We quit!”
There was a pause and then a flurry of activity - people rushed towards Marn and Bucho and she could hear, from somewhere behind the sudden wall of bodies, Marn’s voice, tired but overflowing with happy surprise. Es smiled, tipping her head back and letting out a long breath.
“I think,” said Es, “that I would like to go to bed.”
Lyke turned to look at her, giving her one slow, sleepy blink before he lurched to his feet.
“Please,” said Lyke, “Allow me.”
Instead of gathering up her coat he swept her into his arms, only the slightest stumble giving away his fatigue. A laugh found it’s way out of her, cracking a little as it left her tired throat.
“Thanks not exactly what I mean, but I do appreciate it,” said Es.
The corners of Lyke’s eyes crinkled as he grinned. “That’s why I did it.”
She opened her mouth and was hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion, too tired to speak. Instead she reached up, lightly touching his cheek with her fingertips. Lyke’s eyes flickered shut and she felt his hold on her relax a little before he seemed to rouse himself, his eyes snapping open and his hands flexing a little in the fabric of her dress.
Lyke let out a huff of breath. “Let’s get to bed.”
“Room service,” managed Es, hoping he’d understand.
Lyke hummed in agreement. “Straight to your door. To your bed, even.”
Es let her eyes slip closed, leaning her head against his shoulder as she felt him begin to move. “You, too. Please.”
Lyke’s steps didn’t pause but she could feel his chest swell as he took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “Well when you put it like that how can I say no?”
Es didn’t open her eyes but she smiled, and she could feel him smile in return. She had almost begun to drift off as she felt Lyke pause, jostling her a little for a moment as he opened the door. Es cracked an eye open - her room, her bag neatly set by the desk and the bed made just as she’d left it days ago.
Lyke paused by her bed, carefully lowering her down onto the covers. He stepped back, waving a hand at Es’ slight frown as he pulled off his suspenders, leaving them dangling at his waist.
“Worst part of the whole thing,” said Lyke.
“I would have that that would have been losing,” said Es, finding that she had more energy for speech now that she was lying down.
She shrugged out of her waistcoat, beginning the task of undoing her shirt buttons. Lyke, for his part, had already rid himself of his shirt and undershirt, leaving them draped across the back of her chair. He picked up her discarded waistcoat, adding it to the pile.
“Nah, I beat Duvall, that’s enough winning for me,” said Lyke. “Besides, it’s like Marn said, as long as one of us gets the money, that’s what counts.”
Es hummed thoughtfully, wriggling her sore feet in her boots. Lyke’s eyes dropped towards the movement and he went to his knees, his fingers on her laces before her tired mind could process it.
“I’m very tired,” said Es.
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” said Lyke, “I mean, me too.”
“No, I mean-” Es let out a breath of relief as he slipped her shoe off. “I just want to sleep not… anything else.”
Lyke paused, blinking up at her. “Yeah, of course.” He paused. “I mean, me too. It’s… You’re nice to spend time with when I’m asleep, too.”
The words curled warmly in Es’ chest. With great effort she sat forward, running a hand through Lyke’s wispy hair. He closed his eyes, leaning into the touch for a moment, before he looked up at her again.
“Gotta do your other shoe.”
“Mmm,” said Es. “And your’s. No shoes on the bed.”
“I remember,” said Lyke.
“I know you do,” said Es. “And help me with my corset?”
“Next on my list after my boots,” said Lyke, as cheerfully tired as if they’d been delving for days instead of dancing.
Es huffed a laugh. “Well, as long as it’s there.”
“Of course it is,” said Lyke. “You’ve got a lot of layers to remember but I definitely remember that one.”
Es laughed outright at that, smiling as Lyke flashed her a grin, pulling her other shoe off.
“Sleep first ,” said Es. “ Then anything else.”
Lyke raised his hands in mock surrender before he sat back and then curled over to untie his own boots. Es lifted her hands, beginning the process of pulling her various hairpins out. She could feel as the curls began to relax, the faint pull on her scalp that had been barely at the edge of her awareness lessening.
“You want me to brush your hair out too?” asked Lyke.
“Skip it,” said Es. “Sleep first.”
Lyke let out a grunt as he pushed himself up before flopping down dramatically next to her. The bed springs creaked in protest under them but kept firm, which couldn’t be said of everywhere they visited.
“Sleep first,” agreed Lyke. “Well, corset first, then sleep, then everything else.”
“Always wonderful to meet someone with their priorities in order,” said Es, shifting on the bed and wriggling her arms out of her shirtsleeves so he could reach the lacings of her corset.
“Always wonderful to be met when I have orderly priorities,” said Lyke.
Es let out a sigh as the corset loosened, waiting until there was just enough lax in the lacings to pull it over her head. Lyke stretched out over the gap between the bed and the chair to add it to the pile, wriggling out of his pants and kicking the covers down in the process. Es managed to rid herself of her bloomers and stockings in the process, finally flopping back down in her chemise. It felt almost luxurious to be lying down, even more so as Lyke settled down beside her, his head just on the edge of the pillow.
He reached down, pulling the blankets over them, his hand finding her’s under the covers and squeezing. Es squeezed back. Lyke shifted forward to press his forehead to her’s. His voice was a rumble in the near-darkness. “See you in the morning.”
“See you in the morning,” agreed Es.
Aftermath ( 9 hours)
“I really didn’t think we’d be the ones to win it!” said Marn.
Bucho hummed, taking a sip of his coffee. A touch stronger than he generally liked it, but even after the nice patch of sleep he’d just gotten he was still feeling the effects of a few days of dancing on his body.
“Well, you deserved it,” said Bucho. “You’re a mighty fine dancer.”
Marn beamed, her whiskers twitching. “Oh, do you really think so? I mean, I only know how to do it a little, and you’re such a fine dancer!”
“Well, I do alright I suppose,” said Bucho. “Wouldn’t have two-step as a nickname if I couldn’t cut at least a little bit of a rug now and then.”
“You did more than that!” said Marn. “I- I mean, I was mostly on your- I mean, you were carrying me towards the end there.”
“We were carrying each other,” said Bucho. “Besides, and I hope you don’t mind me saying so Miss Ancura, but you’re such a little thing, I barely felt it.”
Marn’s whiskers twitched again. “Oh, well, I- That’s very kind of you to say.”
“Just the truth of the matter,” said Bucho. “You were a lovely dancing partner and it’d be my honour to do it again any time you like.”
“Oh!” said Marn.
They were sitting close enough that he could just make out the slight pinkening of the tips of her ears, a warm-pleased feeling spreading through his chest at the sight of it.
“Well, so would I, you know.” Marn paused. “Although maybe not for so long, next time.”
Bucho laughed. “Right you are Marn. Just a little dance, next time.”