Sitting on the ship's railing, Clara swung her feet. Since returning to the ship the day before, she had been excused from helping with chores. Eduardo refused to rest any longer than he had to, and was already back to steering. She silently watched him as he scanned the horizon. With a sudden sigh, the man set down his telescope and looked back at her.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"U-Um, well," she mumbled, "I was curious if it was hard to steer such a large ship."
"Nothing's easy when you first try."
"Oh. That's true."
The conversation seemed to end there. Clara bit her lip and stared at her feet. She wasn't sure if she should try to talk more, as she didn't want to annoy him. Yet after the events at Elurra, she felt more comfortable around him. She figured that after how he had helped her, the man couldn't be a bad person.
"What are you looking forward to most?" he asked, not bothering to look at her.
"What do you mean?" She tilted her head.
"When you get home," he replied in an annoyed tone.
"Um... Well, I guess it would be... my family. I have the sweetest little sisters, and they're the cutest kids you'll ever see! And my mother and father must be so worried!"
"What are your sisters' names?"
"Their names are..." Clara paused, "Hope, Faith, and Charity. They're triplets. They got my mom's blonde hair, but we have the same nose."
Eduardo nodded.
"Do... you have any siblings?" she asked.
"No."
I... I have no idea what to say. One moment, he seems nice, but the next... Ugh, I don't even know...
"So... we'll be there at the next stop? My, um, my home?"
"That's what we've been saying."
"Right..."
He still wasn't looking at her. She chewed her lip for a moment.
"Are you gonna miss me?" she asked.
"No."
At his blunt response, the woman drew back. She wasn't hurt, per se, but his answer was a bit disappointing. She sighed.
"That's alright. I don't think I'll miss you either. Oh, but I'll definitely remember you. All of you."
Feeling that to be a good place to end her attempts at conversation, she hopped down from her spot on the railing and headed to the kitchen.
The room was unusually empty. The woman wasted little time wondering where he went. Grabbing a sack, she started going through the pantry. She grabbed some apples, some oranges, and managed to find some dried jerky. Just as she was tying the sack, she heard the door swing open. She jumped to her feet and tossed the sack on a shelf. She turned just as Russell poked his head around the corner.
"What are you doing?"
"I-I was looking for something to snack on. Would Nathan be okay with that?"
"No." He pushed past her and grabbed a pair of bananas. "Just don't tell him."
He handed one of them to her before heading out. She peeled the fruit and snuck back into the pantry. She rearranged some things and hid the sack behind a small crate. She quickly left the kitchen, tossing the banana peel into the trash. As the door closed behind her, she could hear Nathan entering through the other door.
I hope I didn't leave anything out of place...