Nothing awful happens in the night.

Then they can keep heading onward. 

It's mostly forested for a few days. Eventually she gets over herself and tells stories to Verita, trying to see if she can shape them in ways that will result in magic. She tries to get better at noticing and doing things that need two hands. She keeps making dinners. She always takes first watch.

Eventually he figures out how to sleep at night. He mostly stays up for the first while of her shift, though. Tries to teach himself knifework with his good hand.

It's kind of nice, staying up alone. Especially with him. Although it's also kind of weird and awkward, because, like, she doesn't really know how she feels about him and only kind of knows how he feels about her.

"Why do you even wanna marry me?" she says, one night, looking up at the foreign stars instead of at him.

" - well, I want to spend my life with you, and raise kids together, and take care of you, and listen to your stories, and stuff."

"Oh.

"...why, though."

"...because I like you? The way you treat people and the way you think about stuff? And the things you notice. And the things that make you happy. And the things that bother you. And the way you look, I guess, though it's not - not just that."

"Huh.

"Sorry for - I dunno. It feels appropriate to apologize after asking this question but I'm not sure what for."

"Can't really think why you would owe me an apology."

Shrug.

"It's not - the kind of thing where you can owe another person anything, I don't think."

"What's not?"

"Love. Dating. Considering marriage."

"Maybe not. You're just - my friend, either way, I don't wanna be all - I dunno. Pathetic at you."

"I don't think you're pathetic."

"I guess that's good."

"Is that a Chelish thing or a you thing, thinking that wanting - to hear that people care about you - is pathetic?"

"It's a Chelish thing but I'm - more that than most people."

Nod.

"I don't really know if - it seems like people in other places would have to think it at all? But I don't really know how much is - normal."

"I don't - I haven't really gotten to know very many women. So I dunno."

"I don't know if it's just a thing about women? Just, if you go around asking for lots of things from people then you'll be a burden, and if the thing you want is, like - emotional reassurance, or whatever, you're gonna end up - I dunno. Annoying people, mostly, because it's not like anything very dire is likely to happen if you don't get it."

" - but you really don't ask lots of things of people. You had - questions in response to a marriage proposal, that's not - not that actually I'd mind at all if you just went around asking for compliments but it's really very different from that! It's being responsible! I wouldn't rather you didn't ask questions and then had less information to decide with."

...nod.

"Also I think people do need emotional reassurance, actually."