Chapter 7

~Inconvenience~

 

Russ was talking to one of the newer crew members. He waved them off when Cevin approached. “Hey, Kevin. Where’s Aspen?”

“He's taking a bit of a break. He could use one after last night…” 

“Last night?” Russ frowned, “He only moved some barrels and went to help in the kitchen. You newbies really need to build up your strength.”

“It's not that. It's just that he… uh, had a stomach ache? And he still isn't feeling the best. That's why I was, um…” Cevin trailed off, rubbing her side. 

“You should take him to see Theo, then. They’re friends, aren’t they?” Russ advised, moving along slowly for Cevin’s sake, “Forgive me for prying, but does it have anything to do with an injury? I noticed some bandages on the floor when I-” He cut himself off, embarrassed, “Nevermind.”

“No, um, it's okay. Aspen was… Well, he kind of hurt his ribs a while ago. That's what the bandages are for, to restrict his movements so he doesn't make it worse…” Cevin lied, finding a good opportunity to lessen her friend’s load on the ship. “I was worried he hurt himself further with all that lifting.”

“Ah, I understand.” Russ nodded, “There’s not much to be done with ribs… Make sure he’s careful with those bandages, though. A buddy of mine used them to secure padding for soaking up blood from a sword wound and when he fell asleep in them he woke up with some awful bruises and even a cracked rib. I’ll have to make sure Aspen doesn’t end up doing anything too strenuous for a while, just in case. It’s so easy for these things to become worse.”

“Oh, don't worry. We both are being as careful as we possibly can- I mean, I'm making sure Aspen's being careful and so is he. I don’t wear bandages. I'm not injured or anything, so why would I wear them?” Cevin laughed awkwardly.

“That would be ridiculous.”

Cevin winced, following after him. “Yeah, of course…”

Satisfied, Russ decided to stop patrol until after supper, “You can take some time to relax. I have to attend a meeting with Max.”

“Max?” Cevin asked confusedly.

“The Captain.” Russ pointed across the deck to where Max was waiting.

“Of course! Forgive me, I just blanked for a moment there, Sir.” Cevin replied, her cheeks brightening as she lowered her cap. “I believe I need some rest. Perhaps I have been out here in the sun for too long.”

Russ nodded and left.

Cevin didn't actually move, her feet failing her as she watched Russ walking towards the Captain. She couldn't stop herself from staring at the other, taking him in better now that he was standing rather than laying down in bed and covered by blankets.

“Hey, Kev. What are you doing?” Theo waved his hand in front of Cevin’s face.

Cevin jumped at the sudden noise, grabbing her sides as she hissed. “Nothing! I was not doing anything at all! I just happened to get lost in a process of thought… Why? Do you need my services?”

“Nah, I don’t need you for anything. Just looking for something interesting to do.”

“Well, I assure you there is nothing interesting about me. Though I did hear that supper is supposed to be quite interesting tonight. Whatever that means.” Cevin replied, “Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go and-” 

“What are you doing standing in the middle of the deck like this for? If you want to gossip, go somewhere else.” Carl cut her off with a scowl, “You’re getting in everyone’s way.” 

Cevin rolled her eyes. "I was ending the conversation. Besides, we aren't bothering anyone else by standing here."

“If something comes up and people need to move past you in a hurry they will have a hard time and you will cause disaster.” Carl’s lip curled.

"If anyone had to get past me that quickly, I'd move out of the way. I'm not exactly much of an obstacle." Cevin pointed out, motioning to her small self.

Carl sneered, “It’s true you would be easy to miss if one was looking straight ahead, but if anything you may become a tripping hazard due to your short stature.” 

"I'll have you know my 'short stature' is what others find attractive about me and I'm actually not that short for a g-guy." Cevin folded her arms, glaring up at Carl.

“From what I have heard, there are not many who would find that attractive in a man.” Carl returned smugly, straightening to his full height to show off.

"I've probably had more dates because of my size than you’ve ever been on, or will read about, in your lifetime." Cevin straightened herself out as well.

“You arrogant little- How dare you?” Carl thundered, taking a step forward.

“Alright, that’s enough for now.” Theo moved between them, pushing Carl back slightly, “Great insults, both of you. But if this continues you’ll only be getting in the way yourself, Mr. Atherton. Don’t you have some cargo to check or something?”

“Don’t you have a shelf to organize?” Carl shot back with a huff, glaring at Cevin and then turning to walk away.

"You should probably read as many romance novels as you can if you want any chance of catching up with my dating life,” Cevin smirked.

“That. Is. It.” Carl turned back around.

“Exactly what I was saying.” Theo nodded, putting a hand on Carl’s shoulder, “That's it. This is done now. If you don’t get moving, I’ll go down to the cargo hold myself and show you how to actually organize.”

"He's a really good organizer. I'm not sure you'd want to pass that offer up." Cevin added.

Carl removed Theo’s hand with a grimace, taking a step back with slightly less grace than usual, “You are not allowed to move one crate, you hear me? You’ll mess everything up and I’ll have to pay for it.”

“Better hurry, then.” Theo smiled, “I’m pretty bored today and I’d love to hang out with a good friend for a few hours.”

“Don’t follow me.” Carl turned his back, walking away, “And move somewhere else.”

"I was already planning on it," Cevin replied.

Theo rolled his eyes as Carl departed, turning back to Cevin with a sigh, “It’s too bad. I really would enjoy organizing all those crates.”

Cevin chuckled. "He'd be so mad and you'd probably only end up reorganizing it again."

Theo shrugged, “Well, I should get back to the medical bay. Really busy, you know.” 

Cevin nodded. That conversation would have gone a lot worse without Theo there and she didn't want to imagine it. She crawled up onto her bed as soon as she made it back to the cabin, undoing her binding and sighing in relief. “I don't think I'll ever get over how good it feels to unwrap these bandages.”

Aspen grunted in response, sprawled out face-down on her bed over the covers.

“Have you already taken off your binding? I could get you up before dinner, or bring you something to eat so you can sleep in.” Cevin suggested.

“Yeah, I took it off. Don’t worry about supper. I'm fine.”

Cevin nodded even though her friend couldn't see her. “Get plenty of rest, then.”

 

---

 

Sergio burst out of the kitchen the second he saw Cevin seat herself at a table, “What do you think? Is it very interesting?”

“Yes, and very good, too! The cooks did well.” Cevin replied as enthusiastically as she could in her tired state.

“That is good news! But where is the other boy? I must have him try this as well.”

“Aspen? He wasn't feeling too good, so he decided to rest instead of eating dinner.” Cevin answered, taking another bite.

“Oh.” Sergio’s face fell for a moment before returning to a wide smile, “Then he really was sick! He did not dislike our cooking!”

“He enjoys the rice a lot.” Cevin smiled. “He hadn’t tried any before we came on board.”

“I will tell my friend. Perhaps we can make a soup for the sick one. A soup with rice.”

“I'm sure he would really enjoy that,” Cevin said appreciatively. “Could you also thank your friend for the food? He did a good job, along with whoever else worked on it.”

“He will be so happy to hear that,” Sergio beamed, running back through the doors to the kitchen.

Cevin smirked, glad to make someone's day. Her smile was quickly replaced when she noticed Mr. Clipboard eating not too far away.

He happened to look up at the same time, meeting her gaze. “What?”

“Nothing,” Cevin grumbled, trying to ignore him but remembering the few lines she had read in his journal.

“Really? Your face says there’s something you want to say to me. About a missing book, perhaps? Or maybe it’s the awful state you left my room in. Those stacks were alphabetized!”

Cevin tensed for a second, covering it up with a neutral expression. “What books? Why would I steal one of yours when I don't even know how to read?”

“You think you’re so clever. How did you fill out your paperwork if you can’t read? I saw it myself.” Carl growled. 

"Fine, I can't read well and it's not something I do for fun. I have no idea where your room is, either." Cevin pointed out.

“It is not difficult to find. You could have stumbled across it without meaning to and then decided to take advantage of the situation. And how, pray tell, am I supposed to believe that you can’t read based solely on your word? You could very easily lie about that.”

"I could, but I'm not. Stealing a book for no reason?" Cevin shook her head.

“A liar and a thief.” Carl scowled.

"Who doesn't lie on occasion? I'm sure there's plenty you don't want me to know about you."

Carl stiffened, “I am not asking about your personal life. You’re lying about stealing from me, and I will prove it.”

Cevin shook her head, shoveling the rest of her food into her mouth and getting up to drop off the empty plate. “Doubt it.” She ignored Carl’s glare and walked over to the side of the ship to study the waves.

 

“Hey! Young man with the dark and gloomy expression!” Sergio called, waving as he ran up.

“Me?” 

“I am sorry. I do not know your name,” Sergio panted, leaning against the side of the ship to catch his breath.

“Its Kevin. Did you need something?” Cevin questioned, returning her gaze to the waves.

“Yes.” Sergio grinned proudly, puffing out his chest, “My friend and I have made some very interesting, nutritious soup for your friend, the sick boy. There is enough for you, also. It has the most interesting of tastes.”

“Really? I'm sure Aspen will appreciate it. Thank you… Sergio, right? And thank your friend for me, too. The two of you really didn't have to go out of your way.”

“Yes, it is Sergio! You remembered!” The grinning chef rolled back on his heels with a pleased hum, “It is our job, as cooks on this ship, to make sure every crew-person is fed and happy,” He smiled pleasantly, “It is no trouble.”

“Thanks. Do you think I could bring a bowl down to him later, though? He needs as much sleep as he can get. I wouldn't mind trying some now, though, if that's okay.” Cevin faintly smiled back.

“Of course!” Sergio made a sweeping motion with his arm, gesturing back the way he came, “Come into the kitchen.”

Cevin hesitated, looking back at the waves before adjusting her cap and following after Sergio. 

“Sit,” Sergio nodded towards a table with a single chair in the corner of the room, away from all the bustling cooks, “I will bring it for you.”

Cevin awkwardly took a seat, feeling out of place as people continued to work around her.

Sergio returned with a bowl of fragrant soup, setting it down with a flourish, “I must go wash plates. Eat in peace.” He bowed, then left. 

Cevin sighed, taking a sip of the warm broth as the kitchen staff chatted quietly amongst themselves. A loud crash broke the quiet atmosphere, every head turning to watch as Sergio blushed in embarrassment. The remains of a stack of plates were shattered at his feet.

Cevin blinked a few times before rushing over to help clean up the broken dishes, collecting the bigger pieces into her hands. “Are you okay, Sergio?” 

Sergio shook off his surprise, kneeling down and grabbing her arm, “Stop. That is very dangerous, Kevin.” An unusually stern look crossed his face as he motioned for one of the staff to come forward with a broom, “A guest cannot get hurt cleaning up my mistakes.” The expression was gone in a flash, replaced by his normal smile, “Did you like the soup? Is it interesting enough?”

Cevin gazed up at Sergio, her lips turning upwards a bit. “Yeah… It was really good. I'm sure Aspen will enjoy it.”

Sergio grinned widely, pressing his hands together and tilting his head up to the sky, “That is good news! I will prepare some to take down to your friend. If you keep it wrapped, the soup will not go cold for many hours.” 

“Thanks, that would be great.” Cevin dusted off her pants, standing up. 

Sergio held out a dry cloth, “Would you like to help dry while you wait? I am not good at it, as you can see.” He chuckled.

Cevin let out a small laugh, taking the cloth, “Sure.”

Sergio nodded, satisfied.

The person washing handed the next dish over without a word and Cevin took it, drying it then putting it off to the side. 

Sergio came back with a small carefully-wrapped pot, “It is a nice job, yes? You do not have to think hard,” He laughed softly, “Perhaps you can come help again.”

Cevin smirked. “Yeah, I should have signed up to work in the kitchen instead of on deck.”

Sergio nodded, “There is even a cute do-” He cleared his throat, “It is very, very fun.”

“If I only knew how to cook,” She shook her head, taking the small pot. “Thanks again for the soup.”

“Anytime.” Sergio waved. He returned to drying dishes but one of the staff stopped him and redirected his attention elsewhere, sending Cevin a brief, exasperated half-smile over his shoulder before going back to work.

Cevin let out a small giggle before heading back to her cabin. She set down the pot on a table and smiled with sad fondness at Aspen, who had somehow gotten tangled up in her blankets while sleeping. Cevin freed her friend without waking her then grabbed Mr. Atherton’s journal and settled into the top bunk. She frowned down at the page she’d left on, sounding out the words under her breath.

Day three on board the Saint Marlin.

I have only been gone for a short period of time and I miss my mother dearly. It'll be quite some time before I may be able to see her again. At times I question whether I should have chosen a life at sea over one on land. Though I enjoy my work, I find myself longing to spend more time with those I have left at home. I know the feeling will dissipate over the coming months but with the worry I carry for my mother's health, I do not know how many more of these journeys I can handle (Even if my fears are completely irrational).

"Why couldn't I have just paid attention to my studies? This is taking forever!” Cevin moaned, putting the book down to think over what she had learned so far. Carl didn't seem to actually write a lot about what was happening on the ship.

“...my turn… to hold the cat…” Aspen mumbled, stirring in her sleep.

Cevin hid the book under her pillow, turning over to her side.