Chapter Text
Word Count: 596
Rating: T
Genre: Humor
“Shite.”
Hanan perks up at Sera’s hiss. She’s been flat on her back in the bottom of the boat, tossing an apple up and down . Stakeouts are supremely boring.
“Stop,” Sera whispers, waving to her apple. “I saw movement. We might have them after all.”
Sera has been handling the boredom surprisingly well. In the moments she hasn’t spent peering out into the swamp-muck, her eyes have been on Hanan. She can feel her thinking sometimes. She wishes she would say something.
Hanan sits up.
“Where?” she asks, and Sera motions for her to lower her voice. They’re hidden in the reeds, but out on the water something flickers. It’s white, too far away to identify. It could be a boat. The sun is beginning to set.
“I think it’s moving closer,” Sera says.
It feels like hours pass. Hanan is sitting now, as stock-still as she can be. She squints out across the lake and her nails dig into the splintering wood of one oar. She’d carved her initials into it earlier with a pocket knife—Sera had been shockingly unimpressed. “ So uncreative ,” she’d sighed.
“There!” Sera gasps suddenly. She stands and the boat wobbles dangerously. Hanan clings to the side. The white blob now approaches them at top speed, growing, moving—wings unfurl and it flies upward.
“A bird!” Hanan laughs, loud enough to scare anyone else away. It echoes across the lake and back to her, and when she meets Sera’s eyes she’s frowning. A smile threatens to poke through—Hanan can see it in her eyes. “I’m sorry your lead didn’t pan out,” she offers anyway and Sera huffs.
“Stupid friends.” A pause. “Stupid bird.” She laughs then, and it’s bubbly in Hanan’s soul. They both laugh until Sera wobbles at her perch and Hanan stands to grab her. For a moment, time slows down. Their eyes meet. Realization kicks in. Her stomach lurches and the world turns sideways.
The water is cold and Hanan comes up sputtering. It isn’t deep—Sera manages to stand, dripping in weeds. Hanan clings to her, laughing and muddy, teeth chattering as she tries to stay upright.
“Alright, alright,” Sera laughs, not as angry to be wading in swamp water as most people would be. She helps Hanan to the shore while she bobs along behind. The boat is upturned, a dark shape splayed in the weeds.
“ Why?” Sera cries when they reach solid ground. “I didn’t sign up to go swimming!”
“ You’re the one who rocked the boat,” Hanan shoots back, glee far outmatching any anger.
“You stood up !”
“You were already standing!” She’s loud but joyful, and Sera throws her hands up in the air in defeat. Hanan collapses in the muck—inadvisable, but she’s already gross and wet. Vivienne will have a field day when they get back to camp.
“Up to your nose,” Sera snickers after a moment. “I know why I never see dwarves swimming.”
“We sink,” Hanan agrees with mock solemnity. She’s never really tried.
“Come on. We should get back to camp. I’m sure Scout-What’s-Her-Name can do something about the boat.” Sera offers Hanan a hand and she takes it, standing with a squelch. Sera laughs again. Hanan takes a breath. Then she loses it. They laugh their way back to camp until tears fall and they’re gasping for breath, far past the point of hysteria. They try to compose themselves when they reach the outskirts, but the moment they make eye contact again they’re laughing.
“What—” Vivienne says, aghast, looking them up and down.
Sera points an accusatory finger.
“She rocked the boat!”