The Melancholy of Wonderland

Idly

"Aah, I'm so bored!" Anya whined. She leaned on her mop, idly making small circles on the wood of the deck.

"It has only been two days, Anya," Raven reminded her. "If we hurry up and finish cleaning, you can go back to doing whatever you want."

"There's not much to do here," Anya pouted. "Besides, there's only three other people on this ship! The only thing Alex talks about is the ocean, Ray is a boring intellectual, and you're just a noble with a stick shoved up his butt."

"What does that last expression mean?"

"You're way too uptight to keep an entertaining conversation going."

"Uptight? Are you referring to my mannerisms? I am not much different from Alex or Ray, you know. On the contrary, however, I do not wish to be grouped together with a pair of sailors. So perhaps this," Raven grabbed his bucket of soapy water, "is more to your liking." He proceeded to splash Anya with the water, completely drenching her.

"Oh, you so did not just do that!" Anya hissed. She balled her fists and glared at Raven in rage. "You are dead, Grimlocke!"

Anya swiped at Raven with her mop, sending large globs of soapy water his way. He narrowly dodged, parrying her swing with his own mop.

"Can cleaning utensils double as weapons, I wonder?" Raven asked. "I suppose we will find out now."

"Please. If I was strong enough to bash Evergarden's skull in, I can most definitely take on a puny noble like you," Anya retorted.

"We shall see," Raven said. The corners of his lips turned up in a way that was sly yet endearing.

So he's finally learned how to smirk, huh? It's not perfect and he seems to be doing it unconsciously, but gosh that face is so freaking annoying! Anya dunked her mop into her bucket and proceeded to splash the blond again.

"Please do not get this shirt too wet," Raven said. "It is on loan from Captain Fog."

"You dare say that after you completely soak me!? You are dead in so many different ways than one, Grimlocke!" Anya howled like a banshee.

"Strange," Alex said from afar. "They claim to barely know each other, yet they seem so familiar to each other's mannerisms. They are bizarre children indeed."

"That goes to say, why would they intentionally break the Code of the Heart?" Ray asked. "The Code of the Heart is absolute. You do realize we are harboring criminals on our ship, right Alex?"

"I understand, but they are just children. We can turn them in once we get to the City of Aces."

"Agreed."