Deadwater Kings • Part I ✓

06. THE SUNSHINE BRIGADE

Lin snorted. "Well it was bad haircut or severed head at that point."

"I really wish you didn't have such a dangerous job. You can't trust those boats, and I don't like the people who run them."

Lin lifted an eyebrow, fake indignation flashing across her features. "I run a ship. Sort of."

"I was referring to the higher-ups. Kings."

Lin sighed. "Nobody likes them."

"Our neighbors do."

"Then they're terrible people," Lin said.

Her mother broke out in a little laugh, throwing her arm across Lin's shoulders and tugging her in for another hug. Lin resigned herself to it, allowing the older woman to half-drag her towards the house.

Thankfully, she'd actually showered before diving through the mirror. Shabina's note still crinkled in her breast pocket, unopened even when she transferred it.

Her mother escorted her into the squat home. It was exactly as Lin remembered it, a cluttered mess of neglect and love. Books and dishes littered nearly every horizontal surface, making Lin wince when she saw them overlaid. A teapot with a plate for a lid stood proudly at the center of the dining table.

"Did you have company?" Lin asked. Her mother snorted and plopped Lin down on one of the dining room chairs.

"Sweetie, you know I hate people."

Lin wrinkled her nose in response. Her mother leaned over and dropped a kiss on Lin's head.

"I'll go find some scissors. Maybe I'll dig your father from his grave, too."

Her father was a peculiar man, one Lin had inherited a lot from. Lin wondered what might have happened if she were more like her mother. She was complete shut-in, but generally amiable at least.

A thud from upstairs. "Tane? Is someone there?"

"Oh, look. He's not dead after all." Lin's mother grinned, cupping Lin's head briefly. "It's your daughter! She had a terrible accident and can't bear to allow her father to see her!"

Lin giggled. Best tell him she wasn't actually hurt before he gave himself a heart attack. "I'm fine, dad!"

Still, his footsteps down the stairs were rushed. He swung around the banister at a speed that made Lin wince.

He stared at her, squinting blearily. She could just make out paper indents on his cheek. His shirt was badly wrinkled and he didn't have shoes on.

He pointed at her. Opened his mouth, hesitated.

"Hair. It's the hair, isn't it?"

"Yes, dad. Nice to see you too."

He nodded, satisfied, before walking down to the dining table. He pulled a pair of scissors from his trouser pockets.

"Thank you, dear," her mother said.

"You're welcome," he replied. Then, under his breath, "asshole."

"Dipshit," she sang back.

"Parents," Lin said.

Her father sighed and rubbed his face, sheepish. Her mother was unrepentant as she grabbed the scissors and Lin's head in either hand.

"Did you dye your hair?"

Lin blinked. "Yep. It got lighter in the sun, I didn't like it."

She hummed, cheerfully snipping at the ends of Lin's hair. Her father plopped down on the seat across from Lin, picking up the teapot and removing the plate. He sniffed it and wrinkled his nose before setting it down with the plate on top again.