Mud. Lots and lots of mud.
"Mornin' Sarge."
The mud would be good for camouflage, if it didn't keep getting washed off by the pouring rain.
"Mornin' Zoe. Nice weather, once again."
I hadn't stopped raining since they'd gotten there.
"If you say so, sir."
Zoe took up her position beside him. Her boots made squelchy noises when she walked through the water that had gathered in the trench. It came up past her knees.
"Any sun forecast yet?"
She shook her head.
"Well Zoe, looks like someone finally listened to you goin' on about wantin' a bath."
"This ain't a bath, sir, it's a shower. And a gorram cold one at that. Only thing makes the trench fill up like a bath is the mussed up drainage system."
"Zoe, the trench don't have a drainage system."
"My point exactly. Anyway sir, you're probably needin' a cold shower right now, what with the way you keep lookin' at Private Norris."
"What? The way I look at Private Norris is in no way different to the way I look at anyone else!"
"If that were true, sir, you'd be needin' a cold shower every time you looked at anyone."
"Wha-?!" Mal searched for a comeback for a moment, then sighed when
he couldn't find one. Zoe looked smug. Then she sneezed, and they went
back to complaining about the rain.
A few months later. Different trench. Same Zoe.
"Mornin' Sarge."
"Mornin' Zoe. Any news on when we'll be gettin' some more water?"
"No sir." She stood beside him, kicking up sand as she walked.
"Darnit. Not much left to go around."
"I noticed, sir."
"Too gorram hot on this rock. Remember when we had two feet o' water in the trenches and more kept comin'?"
"Yes sir."
"Wish it was like that now."
"No you don't, sir."
"No, I don't." Mal sighed. "Seems we never have just the right amount o' water, don't it Zoe?"
"Sure does, sir."
They pulled their helmets down farther over their faces to shield their
eyes from the sun.
Years later. A ship now, no more trenches. Still the same Zoe.
"Mornin' Cap'n."
"Mornin' Zoe." He didn't look at her.
"You still embarrassed, Cap'n?"
"What? No! 'Bout what?" He still wasn't looking her in the eyes.
"'Bout walkin' in on me an' Wash takin' a shower last night."
"No, no, not at all..." He finally turned to look at her. "But you used up all the hot water!"
"That may be, sir. Sorry."
"You go 'round usin' up water like that, must mean we got too much of it."
"No sir." Zoe grinned and looked at Wash, who was just entering the
room. "I think we have just the right amount."