A shrug was all Navia had to give in response to Théadan’s comment of how confident she was. The truth was, she was only hoping she was right; the confidence was to hide the uncertainty. But it was good to know he took it all in good humor, after all he was tightening his hold on her to draw her in more. It pulled a content sigh from her as she leaned in to him more, happy to share watching the whales with him. With Théadan going on to share his thoughts on why the whales leapt from the sea, Navia listened intently and was not disappointed by what he had to say. Maybe he was right that the whales wanted to fly, but she was a bit more skeptical of his second idea. She doubted the whales wasted so much energy just to get a second’s glimpse at a bunch of gawking humans, but she could be wrong. But even as he laughed at the idea the whales were trying to say hi, she wondered if that was the case just as another whale rose out of the water to crash back down with a large splash.<br/><br/>She had only caught it out of her periphery at first and she turned quickly into Théadan more so she could see the whale fall into the water again. It was so exhilarating to see that Navia couldn't help but chuckle and want to see it again. That would mean she would be wrong though. Why had she gone with only two jumps? With the excitement that came with watching the whales, she found herself wishing to see them do it more. But that would make her lose the bet. Hoping they would get to see more whales before they reached Khlurios, Navia decided it was time she and Théadan returned to their little corner of the<i>Uttarana</i>, if anything to spare her pride from having to be swallowed. “Okay, I guess that’s probably all they’re going to do. Let’s head back downstairs,” Navia said and started to pull out of Théadan’s hold when Risho returned his attention to them.<br/><br/>“No no,<i>Sitvati</i>,” he shook his head with a smile, certain he was delivering good news to his duchess, “Wait longer.<i>Timi</i>always jump plenty.”<br/><br/>That made her grimace and Navia glanced up at Théadan briefly before settling back on his shoulder with a hint of a pout on her dark lips. It seemed rude to tell Risho no when he had been so inviting, especially to Théadan, but the captain had also not been wrong about anything since they’d set sail. If Risho said the whales would jump more, he was probably right and she was going to lose. She was not overtly competitive, but she was prideful and she had teased Théadan about winning. She did not think he would allow her to get away with being wrong so easily, and nor should he. Perhaps the whales would only spring from the depths one more time. Just as she was about to ask Théadan how they would determine a winner should that be the case, some of the sailors on the other end of the ship were pointing out at the water.<br/><br/>Two whales catapulted from the water together with their white undersides facing the sky, though one started sooner and peaked higher than its partner. White pectoral fins glistened in the sunlight, rostrums arced through the sky, then the first whale’s back slapped against the surface of the water, sending waves and water every which way as the second whale swiftly followed. For a beat as the crew chittered excitedly around them at seeing such a spectacle, Navia was speechless.<br/><br/>“Rare!” Risho exclaimed excitedly, “<i>Timi</i>not do that often!” Satisfied with what he had seen, he turned and started to make his way up the stairs while calling out to his crew, “<i>Adya a pratah!</i>” Groans from his sailors followed, but they did not return to their stations yet, instead turning to either collect or pay their wagers.<br/><br/>Taking it as her cue to try to slip away before she had to do the same while still astonished Théadan had gotten the number right with the help of a double jump by the humpback whales, Navia lifted her head from his shoulder and released her hold on him. At the same time, she dipped under his arm to break free of his hold and spin toward the stairs. Perhaps if she put distance between them with an excuse of having a job to do, Théadan would let her pay up later and give her enough time to devise a plan that would have him forgetting the bet. “Well, that was exciting!” Navia said heartily, not looking back at Théadan and trying for a quick escape. The stairs were not far after all. “I think I’ll go make sure Wyndagar still has fresh water.”