Just Another Day

"Mr. Whi—tten," she called in a sing-song voice.

"What now!?" he barked and glared at her with bloodshot eyes.

"Deck needs swabbed," she said.

"Bah!" Whitten snarled and buried up deeper in his blanket.

"Y'know what cap'n does to slackers..." she trailed off. He looked grumpily over his shoulder to see Shanku grinning like a fox. Grumbling and growling, he fumbled around at his belt a moment before handing two small coins to Shanku.

"'Ere. Do it for me," he snapped and went back to sleep.

"Alright!" Shanku said giddily. Two whole pence all her own! She skipped upstairs and got the mop and bucket. She set about to washing down the deck. Barely a quarter through the ship she began to doubt her decision.

I did not think this through, she grumbled and looked at the long stretch of wood before her. Is this worth two pence? What would I spend it on anyway?

"Top o' the mornin' to ya!" Dawson said cheerfully and saluted his little friend. It was nearly noon before he had come back.

"And the rest o' th' day to yourself!" Shanku called back perkily. Then she realized who was back. "Heeey, where've you been Dawson!?"

"Spending a lovely evening with Miss Scarlet," Dawson nodded and sat down on the frame around the grated opening into the hull. "What are you doing?"

"Dousin' the deck," Shanku said boredly as she poured out a fresh puddle of water to spread around. "How much conversation could you two have had to catch up on last night anyway?"