Flashback Fishy Q & A

[Alyra]

37th of Summer 508 AV "Do fish drown?"Alyra lay flat on her belly. Her palms pressed against the deck, tense and ready to spring away if the creature before her sprung back to life. She craned her next, and strained as close as she would dare to the fish. "Yeah." Kevers replied absentmindedly. He was busy gathering a large rope net together, and had no patience for simple questions. Kevers was a fisherman, and had been for his entire life. Alyra figured that he probably thought he was an expert on fish by now. As such, he had no time to ponder about the life of a fish with Alyra; he had work to do, and he already knew everything he needed to know about fish to go about that work. "In air?" Alyra lifted an eyebrow as she looked over her shoulder at the man. Kevers sighed, and regarded her the same way a mother regarded her toddler: gently, but with a sense of urgency and annoyance, as if her question was wasting valuable time and resources. "What, Alyra?" "Do fish drown in air?" She shouted over her shoulder. Obviously, he hadn't heard her, because the question was completely viable. “No, in water. Thas what drowning is.” Kevers dismissed. His hands greedily grabbed rope, pulling it into a ball in his chest. It didn't seem like the most efficient way of doing things, but, hey, he was the expert. "No." Alyra persisted, pursing her lips in determination. “What I mean is, if we drown in water, does that mean fish drown in air? We can't breath underwater, and fish can't breath...aboveair? Would that be the phrase? Aboveair? No matter. If we call dying in an element you can't breath in 'drowning', wouldn't fish drown in air?” The captain was silent for a moment. Alyra couldn't tell whether it was because he, too, was thinking about the question, or because he was trying to find a way to shut her up. Either way, she was forcing him to think, which, as far as Alyra was concerned, was a step in the right direction. "They can't drown in air and water." He said simply and with a shrug. By now the net was bundled and ready to be stored; Kevers happily to the opportunity to do so. Alyra returned to the fish, leaning in close to it. It was a big fish. That's all Alyra knew about it. It's age, gender, breed, dietary habits, living style, natural predators, and ways of reproduction were lost on her. That's what Kevers was for...to answer the easy questions. And though he wasn't being overly cooperative now, he would answer her if he ever wanted this fish back. Word Count: 450