"I would kill for some clay," Belle moaned from across the table.
"I beg your pardon?"
Belle looked up at Rush, curious about his interest; she hadn't expected him to respond, but glad he hadn't told her to shut up. "Clay," she reiterated, "you know, for sculpting?"
Rush let his spoon fall back into his bowl, losing interest in his breakfast. "I didn't know you were a sculptor."
Belle gave a half hearted shrug, her eye on her ration. "More of an amateur really, but I miss it." She laughed. "There's not much to do for entertainment around here."
"Well maybe we'll find something you can use on the next planet," he suggested.
Belle smiled and fiddled with her spoon. "Yeah, but it's not much of a priority is it?"
"Well maybe there's something I can do to fix that."
"What is this stuff?" Lieutenant Scott looked down at the thick black goop covering his boots, his lips twisting in distaste.
Rush knelt down, dragging his fingers, through the mud, studying it. "It's clay."
"It's black as pitch," Scott muttered, kicking his boot to try to rid it of the substance.
The black ground stretched out before them, thigh high grass collected in patches around them. The ground bled out into marshland ahead of them and bugs hummed in the air nearby. Rot hung heavy in the air and humidity clung to their skin and clothes.
"Pack up a few pounds of that and send it back to the ship," Rush instructed.
"What for?" Brody asked.
Rush glared over at him; he hated explaining himself.
"Just do it," Rush snapped, stalking out into the mud, leaving the others to collect his clay for him.
Belle looked up from the collectin of flowers she was arranging when someone knocked on her door.
"Come in," she called, but there was no response. She glanced over her shoulder before opening the door herself, but there was no one there, only a floating platform made up of kinos, covered with a tarp.
Cautious, she pulled the tarp back, a surprised laugh coming from her mouth as she saw the pile of clay. Joy bubbled up inside of her and she covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her laughter as she bounced on the balls of her feet. There was no one in sight, but she knew he'd been the one to do it for her.