Story parts I'll never do anything with

Hapundra scratched her chin the way she watched her humanoid companions do. Twenty years after picking up the habit, it felt almost natural. "I just don't get it."

Palo, who was busy with his finger in the thick of the log book didn't even look up. "Don't get what?"

Hapundra thrust out three of her topmost legs in accusation at the boiler. "It should burn hotter. Longer. More power. By my thousand children it should be the best darned engine on the seas."

"Damn. It's damn ocean."

"You can't dam the ocean."

"And anyway," Palo looked over his half-moon spectacles at her, "Isn't the wisdom that your children are unborn."

Hapundra scowled at him but he couldn't read her scowls so she chittered instead, clacking her fangs. "No. That's an insult. My children are not yet born. Unborn means someone killed them. Because I failed."

"Ah. My mistake." His eyes flicked back down to ledger. "You don't really have a thousand children anyway, though. Some of them have to be unborn."

"Well that's just rude. Besides, I'm just waiting for the right gentleman."

"I've been ten years aboard and I haven't seen you lay a single egg. I think you may need to go find the right gentleman."

"Why are you in my engine room if you aren't feeling friendly?"

"Because it's cold out there and noisy everywhere else. Usually." He raised his eyes again to do his best piercing stare which was completely lost on her eight eyes. "Usually, this is the only quiet place aboard ship."

Hapundra reached for the boiler her fuzzy legs resting on the hot metal. "So you don't want me to pull the engine apart and work on it now? The banging could be relaxing. Get a rhythm."

Palo sighed and placed the ribbon in his book before closing it up. "I beg of you, for the sake of my thousand not yet born children, please, no. And you're a giant spider, there is literally nothing you can do to be relaxing.

She swiveled around her middle offering out two legs. "Do you need a hug, Palo?"

Palo rolled his eyes but did meander over as if he had nothing better to do and gave her large fuzzy middle a squeeze. After a moment he slapped her side as if to say enough of this unmanlieness back to hitting and drinking. As she clambered back to all eight legs on the floor he asked, "So, what's really bothering you?"

She snapped her head at the engine. "I told you. It should work."

"So, replace it when we get into port next."

She hissed, whistling the sound through her fangs. "I made this engine. I made it. It's mine. It's my work. Eaten Siblings, replace it."

Palo snorted. "Well, you want me to talk to the captain about going adrift for a few days so you can fix it?"

"Yes. That is it. That is what I want. I want to stop so I can take it all apart and put it back together better than when it was new. But..."

"But?"

"But the new captain is scary."

"You're a giant spider. He's an elf. He's probably at least eight times as scared of you as you are of him."

"He's got two eyepatches. He's got no eyes. But he can see us anyway. That makes him creepy."

He raised his eyebrows as high as his muscles would allow. "You're really afraid of the Captain? He's been on board for five years. How can you...? ...Do you need a hug?"

Hapundra gave him a soft swipe with two legs. "You already gave me a hug. You're a lousy hugger. You slap afterwards. You just want to father my thousand children."

"Eww! Ok! I'm going! I'm going! Oh my god! Why would you say that? Agggh."

She giggled at him as he ran up the ladder. She called after him too late, "Don't forget your book!"