There was a faint smile on his face. I watched him take another deep breath and I watched his hand tighten to a fist. "Mnn," he said, still in his sleep. I backed out of his room and I quietly shut his door.
Eeek!
I counted to ten and then I pounded loudly on his door. "What now, ya lousy Rat?" he said through it after a moment.
"We're lost again, Dryden!" I called.
"Oh. Sorry. Just a minute."
Oh my God! How icky! thought one corner of my mind.
Stonecaster, thought another corner. It's not like you've never woken up with wet fingers. And you were dreaming of blonde Caeli knights, NOT your lawful betrothed- or did you think he was dreaming of Hitomi?
It was less than a minute and he came out with his buttons buttoned and his sash tied, settling his scarf around his shoulders. "Thanks for fetching me," he said.
"Er.... yeah, sure..........uh. .....Why don't you lock your stateroom door?"
"Well, I don't keep anything very valuable in there. I really didn't bring anything other than that locked case in the-..... uh..... how did you kn-..... Oh, sh-...... um............... So how lost are we?" I don't know if it was for his own sake or mine that he changed the subject, but I was very relieved that he did.
"Pretty darn lost." I could tell I was blushing and I think he was, too. Oh, dear God, why had I asked that? Ooops.
Dryden set us back on course, and then continued to translate aloud from Allen's father's journal while Mr. Rat sat invisibly in the background and transcribed it all into our language. Dryden was avoiding looking at me, and concentrating on the journal, so I don't think he realized that Allen was getting agitated by his translation again until Allen started to walk out.
"Are you running away? Trivial things like this can disturb a Knight of Heaven? How interesting."
"I don't think I like you," said Allen.
"That's fine. I don't either," said Dryden.
"Dryden, that was rude," said Hitomi and she ran out after Allen.
"Oh, man. Another beautiful girl is gonna hate me." He laughed, and went back to his book, but he stopped translating aloud. Actually he stopped turning the pages, too. And I wear that exact same poker face when I'm desperately unhappy and surrounded by other people.
I suppose it was instinct that made Dryden take that opportunity to annoy Allen. I still don't know who told him about Allen and me. And Dryden's claim that Allen didn't matter to him, that he wasn't jealous... it obviously wasn't true.
We can't lose Dryden's help now, I thought. We're almost there and Allen might find something in the Mystic Valley that he needs. I should DO something.
So I touched Dryden's arm and he turned to look at me. I decided to try another attempt at the thank you that he'd been so skeptical of last time. "Uh. Really. I want you to know how much I appreciate all you've done for us. Giving up your fleet and saving Van's life and all your help now. It's uh..."
I forced myself to smile at him and... wow! It worked way too easy! He was beaming at me. "Uh....I should have paid more attention in my oratory class. I don't know how to elaborate the thank you that we owe you."
He opened his mouth, shut it and just nodded at me, still smiling.
Amazing. A touch and a smile from me and I've instantly cured him of crushing depression.
I said, "How long did it take you to put that fleet together, anyway?"
"Four years. But now I know how. It'll take me less than that to do it again."
""How are you going to do it?"
"Well, I've still got some capital and my clients and employees. I can rent ships. ...Well. The first year I'll take a loss, the second ought to be okay."
"Oh."
