Crown was not too happy with the job she had been given. Even with Hivoo, a tsabhua from another colony, and Frostbite nearby- she still wasn't (and never would be) a fan of the ocean. Unfortunately for her, Bloo had picked her to clean up some debris out of the ocean after a storm had hit the colony. Despite being warned beforehand, one of the Xunari working on construction had ignored all warnings they had been given and left a ton of materials sitting around outside, which had been picked up by a recent storm and flung everywhere.

Obviously, those using the ocean as their home had not been pleased.

Crown frowned as she inched closer to the edge of the boat, Hivoo was in the water, trying to hand her one of the many planks that were littered around. Crown, however, was hesitant to get closer- scared that the boat would rock on the waves in just the wrong moment and that she'd fall in.

"You'll have to come closer." Hivoo spoke, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. Frostbite was just behind her, using the plank that he had gathered to stay afloat.

"Uh- okay hang on I've got this-" she inched ever so slightly closer again, reaching out to take the plank out of Hivoo's hands again.

The piece of wood was heavier than she thought, and as the boat rocked on the wave Crown lost her footing, tumbling around and into the water. She was not a fan, instantly trying to climb back onto the boat while hivoo tried to help her up, Frostbite managing to grab the wood that the blue-ish Tsabhua had been holding onto to prevent it from sinking into the depths below.

Eventually, Hivoo managed to help a startled Crown back onto the ship. She was drenched, and probably the most miserable she had ever been in her life.

"You should really be more careful, Crown." Frostbite snapped, handing Hivoo the piece of wood back. "At this rate you might as well have stayed home."

Crown flinched at the harsh comment, looking at Hivoo for support. Hivoo, however didn't seem to keep to enter the argument, and awkwardly glanced to the site, trying to put the piece of debris onto the boat without Crown's help.

Crown felt a lump form in her throat, but she quickly swallowed it down. She couldn't let herself get upset over something so small, especially when everyone else seemed so much more competent in situations like this. She had never been particularly good with water, and it had never seemed to matter until now.

She just couldn't keep up with Hivoo or Frostbite, and it felt like every task was a battle she lost before it had even started. Her gaze drifted over to the piece of wood that had caused her to fall- it was nothing special, just a plank of wood. Hivoo had grabbed hold of it again now, and in her hands it didn't even seem particularly big or heavy. Why did everything feel so much harder when she was around?

"I didn't mean to mess up," Crown muttered under her breath, barely loud enough for herself to hear.

Frostbite glanced at her, his expression still set in an unhappy frown, but his voice softened slightly. "It's not about messing up, it's about endangering others. If you din't feel up to the task you should've just said so."

Crown nodded, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "I know. I'm just-"

"I'm sure we're all trying our best." Hivoo pipped up in the background. She had successfully manage to slide the wood onto the boat. "We're all here to get the job done together. So maybe a little more patience and a little less lecturing wouldn't hurt."

Frostbite opened his mouth as if to protest, but Hivoo raised her hand to stop him. "I'm just saying, we're all in this together. If you want to stay here and complain, fine, but Crown doesn't need to be made to feel worse about something that's already happened." Her words were firm, but they didn't have any hint of a sharp edge.

Frostbite sighed and looked away. "Fine. But we still have to get the job done."

Crown gave a small nod, feeling slightly lighter, but still unsure of herself. Hivoo's words had helped, but Frostbite's earlier remark had left a sting she couldn't quite shake.

She stood, trying to shake off the last of the discomfort. "I'll help with the next one," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

Hivoo gave her a nod of approval, her expression softening. "There you go. Just focus on the task. We'll manage together."

With that, they set to work again. The boat swayed gently as the waves continued to push against the hull, but Crown felt a bit more secure in her footing now that the worst case scenario had already happened.