"Wet, sore, and aching all over," Effy teased, smile still faint as she rose to her feet, twirling on the spot until her toes brushed away each spiral in the sand, bleach white grain falling back over the darker, cooler depths underneath. Walking to the other side of the canoe, Effy ran her palm over the smooth surface of the wood, then raised her free hand to block the sun from her eyes, staring off into the distance, at the lapping water which still stood between the two of them and their temporary reprieve.

"But, as always, it'll be worth it."

Turning with a grin, Effy shrugged a shoulder before she crouched down, putting more of her weight— and a surprising amount, for someone so slight— against the boat, nudging it back and forth to free it from the closely packed sand that supported it.