Closed To Catch a Fish [Kal'ai]

[Traverse]

N'avari smiled knowingly as she gazed out over the lake. "The memory of loved ones can be a powerful drive." She glanced at Kal'ai for a moment. "I think fishing will suit you better, Kal'ai, it is hard work in its own right, but not the same as laboring in the rice paddies. Gives you time to reflect upon your life and find balance in our natural element."

There was a long pause then as Kal'ai got a chance to truly experience what fishing was like: the waiting. Just as N'avari had mentioned there was a lot of it. The silence between the two Konti stretched out for a few ticks, then a few chimes, then a bell. If she glanced over at the fisher woman beside her she would notice that the female became still like a statue, barely even blinked. The expression upon N'avari's face was blank, yet peaceful. It was here away from the bustling markets that she felt she truly belonged, and the Konti wondered if Kal'ai felt similarly.

Occasionally ripples in the lake's surface would reveal a living entity, but few strayed too close to the flies that drfited aimlessly over the water's surface. If this was a bad sign, N'avari certainly didn't show any sign of worry, or really any emotion at all.

Then Kal'ai felt it. It was a very gentle sensation, as if a child was pulling upon the other end of the rod, trying playfully to take it away from her. Then it happened again, harder this time, and if she looked she would notice that the bright fly that had been hovering upon the water's surface had disappeared into the clear water.

"Alright, Kal'ai. Just hold the rod and begin pulling back, but slowly. I'm getting my net for whatever it is that you have caught." N'avari's voice was calm and reassuring when she spoke, and she swiftly drew in her own line, opening one of her baskets and pulling out a net for capturing her catches. She began wading ever so slowly over to the Konti with something upon her line. "Slowly, now, don't want to lose it."

[Kal'ai]

"The memory of loved ones can be a powerful drive." There was a little silence, before N'avari spoke again. "I think fishing will suit you better, Kal'ai, it is hard work in its own right, but not the same as laboring in the rice paddies. Gives you time to reflect upon your life and find balance in our natural element." The meaning of that phrase became quite obvious when they remained in silence, with nothing happening, for who-knows-how-much time. Someone could have snapped in that silence, but Kal didn't mind it. She had plenty of pretty good memories about the Lake, even if usually she didn't think about them. Sure, they were pleasant moments, but they were lost forever and they hurted in that particular way melancholy always does. Thinking about them constantly wasn't an healthy thing for her to do, but doing that sometimes was nothing but good, to avoid to forget them, and that occasion seemed just perfect to do so. She was still lost in her thought when she felt it. The rod moved in her hands, gently at first. She was still asking herself if she had dreamed that when the rod moved again, harder this time. No, she wasn't dreaming, darn it! She gazed on the surface of the lake and noticed that the fly was nowhere to be seen. Only a second look revealed that the bait was simply under the water...Damn! Damndamndamn! What now?! She began to panic, before N'avari's voice reached her. "Alright, Kal'ai. Just hold the rod and begin pulling back, but slowly. I'm getting my net for whatever it is that you have caught." Okay, calm down. She took a big, deep breath, and then began to pull. She tried to do that slowly, without harsh movements, but the results were probably worse than her intentions. "Slowly, now, don't want to lose it." She tightened the grip on the pole, trying to slow even more her movements. Damn fish! Why it had to choose her bait?! Oh, well, maybe it was destiny and not just plain bad luck.

[Traverse]

N'avari came with her net, wading slowly through the water so as not to make any unnecessary disturbances. Unlike her example of showing Kal'ai how to wind the line, however, she did not aid with the line in anyway, standing back a little ways with her net at the ready, watching the prospective fisher woman's progress.

"That's it, nice and slow, you want to get the fish to us, but don't want to snap the line or scare it off." She watched as the struggling ripples drew ever closer, eyes bright with excitement, her own, and whatever feelings Kal'ai was surely feeling. "Alright, now grasp the line directly and begin hauling it in, keep it slow though. This is why I like the rod over the reel, you have more control of your actions in this part."

While Kal'ai was panicking, N'avari in contrast seemed to having the time of her life, legs bent, eyes bright, acting the part of the cheerleader. "Wonderful!"

[Kal'ai]

"That's it, nice and slow, you want to get the fish to us, but don't want to snap the line or scare it off." She was starting to lose the control of her mind and her calm, but she clutched to the last bit of it almost like she was "strangling" the rod. If it hadn't been for the reassuring presence of N'avari she would have surely started trembling. "Alright, now grasp the line directly and begin hauling it in, keep it slow though. This is why I like the rod over the reel, you have more control of your actions in this part." Dear Avalis, what?! She remembered to breath, saving herself at the last second. One, two...good. Now, the thread. She moved her hand, taking the thread firmly in her closed palm and began to pull, as slowly as she could. "Wonderful!" N'avari seemed quite excited about it...unlike her, considering that she was pratically drowning in her panic...But she had to go on! The fish was so close now...

[Traverse]

N'avari watched with a patient eye as the creature came closer and closer to them, Kal'ai nearly panicking beside her, but still slowly drawing the line back. A fisher woman eventually became a very patient person, for being impatient would only lose you your catch.

Time seemed to slow down and draw out as the line drew taut against the force of the fish, and N'avari crouched in the water net at the ready.

Then in a flash the net dipped beneath the water and scooped up under the line. Instantly as N'avari brought the net above the water she twisted it so the fish within couldn't escape with a jump. And there Kal'ai got to see a nice view of what she had caught.

It was a rainbow trout, and when the Konti named something rainbow they didn't fool around. It's scales were a brilliant variance of bright blues, greens, reds, and greens that all blended smoothly together along its scaled body. A few darker splotches covered its hide and N'avari gave a little murmur of approval at the fine specimen. She removed the fly from the trouts mouth and traded Kal'ai, giving her the net with her fish, and taking the rod. "And there you are, Kal'ai, your first catch! He's a beauty."

She wrapped up the line upon the bamboo rod, and gestured to the water. "If you want to put him back under the water so he doesn't have to gasp for air..." She waited until the Konti had done so and smiled. "And now you get to choose, would you like to release the fellow or bring him back with me to the market and make your first sale?" It was clear N'avari had no bias in the matter, and she had already begun packing up her baskets to head back to shore.

[Kal'ai]

She coudn't almost believe it. Had she really managed to pull the fish into the net? She stared at the fish for a few seconds, blinking in a not-too-intelligent way. She had always loved the beautiful colors of rainbow trouts, but now they seemed to shimmer with new life. It was just...well, her trout, in a certain sense. She barely registered that N'avari had gave her the net, taking back the rod, and she probably would have never noticed if the action hadn't involved the fish. "And there you are, Kal'ai, your first catch! He's a beauty." Oh, yes, it was! She started to smile, before noticing that the fish was desperately trying to breathe. "If you want to put him back under the water so he doesn't have to gasp for air..." Whops...She quickly immersed the net into the water of the lake, after bending her knees to reach the liquid surface. Wait...did she already said how much happy she was? Because she was, in fact, really, really happy. She looked up to N'avari, smiling. "And now you get to choose, would you like to release the fellow or bring him back with me to the market and make your first sale?" Her smile faded away, while she returned to look at the fish. But this time she didn't need much time to analyze her feelings. "Well, this fish is like a gift from Father Laviku, right? So, if we sell it, someone will eat with this fish, and the gift will be well spent. I...think. Yes." She shrudded, looking back to N'avari. "But...Uhm...how do we take him to the market?"

[Traverse]

N'avari nodded sagely, agreeing with the fisher woman's choice. If one was going to make a living fishing, you had to start somewhere.

She smirked at Kal'ai's next question. "That is actually easier than it seems."

She opened one of her baskets to reveal the inside was lined with woven reeds, thinly packed together. She offered her hand to take the net, and after filling the basket with water she let the trout slide in, with ample room for him. "Now this is not a good solution for lots of fish, but it will do for now." She lifted up the basket, water leaked out of it, but at a slow rate.

"Eventually this container will empty, but the handy thing about walking a fish around Mura is that you are not away from water for long, so it can constantly be filled." She passed the basket to Kal'ai. "Ready?"

With that she collected her things and began to wade back to shore, making her way back to the market. After all they had a fish to sell!

[Kal'ai]

"That is actually easier than it seems." N'avari smiled, and then opened one basket. Oh, now it made sense: it was made to avoid major losses of water. Well, at least the poor thing would have breathed while they took it to the market... "Now this is not a good solution for lots of fish, but it will do for now. Eventually this container will empty, but the handy thing about walking a fish around Mura is that you are not away from water for long, so it can constantly be filled." Now that she thought about it...oh well, time to walk! N'avari gave her the basket, which was slightly heavier that she had expected. Some water dripped from it, but thankfully the fish was still trapped inside. "Ready?" "Yes! Let's go." She was feeling quite...happy? Maybe that wasn't the best word...maybe "confident" was more fit. Catching the fish had showed her that she had...well, maybe saying "she had potential" wasn't accurate, but at least she wasn't so terrible at it...and it wasn't a common feeling, for her. Now, she had to overcome the last obstacle, and believe me: she really, really wanted to succeed.

[Traverse]

N'avari whistled as the two of the Konti women made their way back to the market. "I would take such wonderful luck upon your first catch as a good omen, sister. A way of the Gods pushing you to become a fisherwoman if you will." She beamed and continued walking, every now and then glancing over to make sure Kal'ai was re-filling the basket at regular intervals, but other than that remaining quiet.

It didn't take the two long to reach the market once more, where their sister's and visitors haggled and conversed over the fish at great length. N'avari found her way back to her bench, and checked in on the little fellows before picking up the thin line from before and returning to weaving. She glanced around then shouted out into the hub bub. "Fresh fish here! Gorgeous rainbow trout just out of the lake!"

A few heads turned their way and N'avai winked conspiratorially at Kal'ai. "Just give them a moment and they'll come running." While the majority of the head turns returned to their business, a few forms began making their way over towards the two women.

oocIf you'd like you can take a couple posts and barter with someone! Fresh fish is worth 2GM per lb. and I'd say your lovely little trout weighs in around 5 lbs, so feel free to haggle a price with someone!

[Kal'ai]

"I would take such wonderful luck upon your first catch as a good omen, sister. A way of the Gods pushing you to become a fisherwoman if you will." Kal thinked deeply about that phrase, a warm feeling inside her heart. Was it possible that she was really good in something? Yes, she was quite good when fortune telling was involved, but that was something every (more or less) Konti was able to do. A natural predisposition towards something...well, time would have been the judge of that, after all. She filled, again, the bucket, and then made the last steps towards the place where everything had started. She was just about to ask N'avari what she had to do next, when the woman shouted. "Fresh fish here! Gorgeous rainbow trout just out of the lake!" Kal'ai was surprised, for a moment, but she understood the situation quite quickly. "Just give them a moment and they'll come running." It was nothing more than a wisper, but Kal got it anyway. She nodded, before noticing some people drawing near. She smiled, and waited for them to come closer, while paying attention to leave the bucket a little immersed in the water but not so immersed to let the trout escape. THAT would have been really a disgrace, and one of the things that she was prone to do with an alarming frequency. "Hello! Nice day, isn't it?" she greeted the customers, displaying her best smile and an extremely cheerful voice. K'tale would have been really proud of her, after all that time shouting that "being friendly is the best way to keep a customer". "A nice day indeed. Is that the trout we're talking about into that bucket?" asked one of the Konti that were in front of her. Kal nodded, lifting and opening it. She should have put the fish into a cage, but honestly she hadn't the slightest idea how to do that without letting the trout merrily escape. "Here is our little friend. Silver Lake was generous with us, today." She had a second to wonder where she had found that air of "yeah, I trust myself and I know what I'm doing", but she tossed it aside because that wasn't the right situation to start questioning. She waited until everyone had a good look of the fish, before speaking again, but ultimately decided to wait even more...after all, she wasn't sure about making the first move. "How much for the fish?" a short Konti asked. Finally! "Well, it's a pretty good catch, so...let me see..." She started thinking as fast as she could. Fish was sold at 2 Gold Mizas for pound, but how much did that trout weighted? Probably something like 5 or 6 pounds. "...I'd say no less than ten pounds." oocI wasn't sure where to stop, I hope I didn't get too far with the post.