That evening, as the sun went down over the watery horizon, George was piloting the ship, but felt a little tired from all the standing and steering.
"Do you require any help, George?" Elouise asked. "I'm quite adept at navigation myself."
"Well, sure." George replied, sighing. "Thank you so much Elouise, I could use a break."
George sat down on a stool nearest the wheel, about to fall asleep, then wondered;
"Say, uh, how exactly do you navigate at night?"
"Oh, well let me show you!" Elouise excitedly replied, pulling out a compass. "Monteria is to the northeast, ergo we follow the direction the compass leads, as well as the North Star, which one can observe through this sextant." She yanked out an odd-looking navigational instrument. "See, there it is!"
"Fascinating!" George exclaimed in awe.
This was incredible--being out on the open sea with no land in sight so far. George hadn't told Caroline yet, but he'd always wanted to head out to sea on a boat with her. Since she was currently in the present day with his children, alas, he could not, but he was already thinking that'd be one of the first things they'd do together when he returned.
Elouise yawned a little at the captain's wheel. George approached calmly, wrapping a blanket around the young rhubarb and walking her over to a hammock. He could've just went below deck to the sleeping quarters, but Elouise reminded him so much of his own kids that he couldn't bear to let her get a night without sleep.
"It's okay, Elouise, you rest up." George spoke with a whisper. "I'm gonna continue piloting the ship."
