Donovan shifted, frowning at the cluttered spreadsheet spread across the table.
Beside him, Leonardo eyed the pile of parchment, already suspicious. The mess of charts and inventory list looked as dreary as he had expected, like a tedious busywork he knew too well. He had assisted Cora in marking the trench of Mariana, and the memory alone was enough to make his shoulders ache with boredom.
This sort of task was a job meant for idle deckhands, not them. Still, Esme's gaze lingered just a little too long, as if daring him to refuse.
At last, he let out a soft grunt: "Fine, but just this once."
Esme's smile deepened, satisfied before turning to Donovan who was still staring at the charts spread before him. Leonardo glanced at him as though he just realized his brother shouldn't be here but resting instead. He couldn't resist adding:
"Is it okay for him to be up already? I can work on the charts on my own since I'm already familiar with the process."
