One Fish, Two Fish (Rosela)

[I'sona]

5th of Fall, 512AV She wanted to do something familiar. Something that had nothing to do with Riverfall or its laws, her little of homesickness that she had never even noticed grew into something that made her throat burn. This place was similar and it only made things worse. What she wanted right now was something to soothe her and the water would do just that. Looking around her water surrounded room she reached for her fishing kit off the table and then gathered her net from underneath her floor and carried them out quickly. Nodding to the Konti woman manning the front desk I’sona hurried out the door before pausing and turning around. Why go that way when she could just swim to the shore. Using her water escape hatch the Charoda, threw her things into her sack and strapped in on, dropping into the water and following it soon after. She took a lazy pace, flitting around with the fish and not actually trying for fast strokes but spreading her arms wide and using the webbing between her fingers to pull her in long strokes. She used her legs the same way, using powerful strokes to cut through the water. She had missed the resistance and by the time a bell or so had passed and she reached the shore of Riverfall I’sona found herself pleasantly tired. It did not stop her from opening her satchel and beginning to take out her items, a little wet but not really worse for the wear. Casting the net to the side of her she let it sit in the sand began to go through her fishing kit, completely absorbed in her task and not really paying attention to anything else around her save for the thought that the swim had been wonderful and now she would catch some fish.

[Rosela]

Like all Eypharians, Rosela was up with the sun. First her stretches, then exercises, then makeup and hair, and lastly, breakfast. Sitting down at the plain table with her plain bread and cheese, she sighed deeply. The longer she stayed in Riverfall, the more she desperately missed her old life. Ornate, carved tables with servants bringing out three-course meals, then a long hot bath and painting her hair for the day... And now she sat in a run-down cottage that she could barely afford, eating the same food as the poor. Who was she kidding, she was poor. Her lip trembled dangerously, and she lay her forehead against the cool wood of the table. How did it come to this?

There was a flash of blood and fire in her memory, and her eyes popped open. She knew exactly how it'd come to this, and she didn't have the time to wallow in it either. She was an Eypharian, and the most beautiful one for leagues around! She jumped out of her chair, all six fists clenched. So what if she didn't like her house, at least she had one! It'd be gone in a season anyway, when she made enough to upgrade to a villa! Maybe she'd even buy a slave to go along with it! And a wardrobe of new dresses, and new jewelry, and hair paint!

Scarfing down her breakfast, she daydreamed off all the money she'd make working that season. And so what if she didn't have enough for decent food right then; she'd just have to catch some food! She'd seen them do it down by the water, pulling fish out of the sea by the net-full. If those ragged old men could do it, so could she!

Her walk down to the beach was swift and determined, but by the time she actually reached the sand, most of the fire had gone out of her belly. She didn't know the first thing about fishing. It was still early morning, and there were scant few fishermen about. She approached the first one, an old human man with a beard and eyebrows so bushy they seemed to take over his face. He sat motionless on the sand, pole in hand.

"Ahem, sir? Could I possibly ask you a few things about fishing? Sir?" She poked him in the shoulder, only to get a muffled mumble in reply and a shallow snore. Huffing impatiently, Rosela turned and noticed a Charodae woman had appeared on the beach not far down, and also seemed to be preparing to fish. Rosela's charms didn't usually work on other women, but maybe if she just asked nicely?

Trotting over, she strove for a sweetly curious expression and cleared her throat politely. "Ahem, miss? I don't suppose I could ask you a few questions about fishing?"

[I'sona]

The Charoda thought of saying no, in fact the word was already going to fall from her lips when she actually looked at the other female. She had…six arms? I’sona wondered if she had what people called heat vision. Images that weren’t real due to the sun but this didn’t seem like it and rather than say know I’sona gave a tiny smile and nodded. “That will be goodly. What is you wanting to know?” She tried not to stare at the woman, she really did but it was something she had never seen before. She was like…like a human octopus! Maybe she was part octopus, Laviku could have made something like that happen. Blinking she turned away and continued taking out the items and listing them as she did, mostly for the benefit of her current guest. “This be a fishing line, not a fishing,” she waved her hands, pausing“pole! Is not a fishing pole. This is hooks, the fishes get them stuck in their mouths.” She mimed a hook in her mouth with a lopsided grin, becoming less upset and nearly forgetting her homesickness. Gesturing to the net near the octopus woman’s foot she continued her little lessen, taking out the bait last. “And that be the net for under water fishing. Is more fun that way! Oh! And this food, it is making the fishes nibble on the hooks.” Leaning back on her heels I’sona reached for her line and fell into steady habit. Using one end of the line she picked up a hook and spent a few chimes trying to line the hole up to tie a knot. Pulling the line through she contemplated how to tie the knot, it wasn’t really her strong point, looking to the other woman she held it out. “Is you knowing how to tie goodly knots?”

[Rosela]

The woman seemed unusually surprised to see her, but Rosela passed it off as morning fuzziness. ”Oh thank you, thank you! I’m Rosela, by the way.”

Hopping excited to the side, she glanced at the fishing paraphernalia scattered along the ground. It certainly took a lot to get a fish out of the water. Speaking of fish out of water… Rosela had never met a Charoda before, and she eyed the woman from the corner of her eye. Her skin was so strange, and the pallor made her seem sickly. Without pupils, it was hard to track what she was looking at, and Rosela quickly ended her study, lest her teacher abandon her for rude staring.

”Okay, so a fishing line, and hooks, and a net, and food…” She laughed politely at the hook mime, but swallowed nervously. ”I think we can skip anything on underwater fishing. I, ahem, can’t swim.” She said the last part quickly, briefly bringing one hand to the side of her neck in embarrassment.

There was an awkward silence as her new teacher tried to thread the hook, in which Rosela had to keep herself from grabbing the hook and line and threading them herself. She’d been threading sewing needles all her life, and this didn’t seem much different. When it was offered to her, she had to force herself not to snatch it in excitement. She took it gently, toes wiggling excitedly. ”Why yes I do! I can sew quite well, and this doesn’t look much different than tying off a needle.” Not five chimes in, and she was already tying a hook. Lunch was practically in her hands! Looping the line around a finger, she twisted the loops into a single-thread knot, pulling it tight to be sure it stayed. A finger from another hand plucked the fishing line experimentally, keeping away from the sharp end of the hook. It was the same width as a thick length of string, but so stiff. It could never be used to clothing, but maybe something durable, like a handbag…

Remembering she was still holding the hook, she smiled apologetically and handed it back. ”Sorry, trailed off for a moment.”

[I'sona]

“Oh, I am forgetting to be introducing myself. My name is I’sona .” she said it cheerfully enough, watching the other woman curiously as she tied the hook. The knot seemed right but at the same time it did not but she had never truly learnt how to tie a fishing line, she’d never even used all these things she just seen them and helped set them out. A constant routine. However, she could swim so she had always used nets and hearing someone who lived in Riverfall and could not swim surprised her. Smiling not unkindly I’sona nodded her head to the water, “Maybe one days I can be teaching you if you would be wanting to.” But watching the way the woman looked a tad uncomfortable she didn’t say anymore on the subject and waited patiently for the woman to finish tying the knot and refocus on the task. But even the Charoda felt her mind wander and her gaze draw back to the waters. She wanted to learn new things, meet new people but everything was so far away from each other. Blinking twice to shake her thoughts I’sona took the hook with a quiet thanks and then stared at it in confusion for a moment, trying to recall what they had to do with it. Her eyes roamed the tools before settling on the bait. Right! To catch food you had to feed it. “We is now having to put one of these one the hook,” she pulled out the worm and felt a pang of sympathy, “maybe you is wanting to try this too?” Killing the little, gross squirming thing seemed like a sad thing to do. She always made sure fish never got hurt until she gave them to someone else either because it was not as if she could actually eat it anyhow. And if she sold nothing at the end of the day she let them go. And only now did it dawn on her that she would need a bucket, she couldn’t simply keep the fish inside the net until she sold them. Well, maybe the octopus woman would just take the fish with her, then I’sona wouldn’t have to hurt it. Smiling she nodded towards the water once more, “We is needing to stand in it, I thinks. Because we is not having a pole. Not far in,” she tried to sound reassuring, “but only is a little so we can be catching the fishes.”

[Rosela]

As she handed back the hook and knotted line, Rosela had a moment of anxiety as I’sona examined it. It was a standard knot, so she couldn’t have possibly messed it up, right? It seemed to pass inspection however, and she looked out to the ocean with the thought of swimming. ”Maybe…thanks…” She wasn’t really up to it, but it was a nice gesture for her to offer. She felt like she was warming up to the Charoda.

At least until I’sona offered the hook back, this time with a ugly, wriggling worm. ”Put it actually on the hook? We can’t just tie it on there or something?” Her horror clearly written on her face, she took the worm and hook and made a concerted effort to simply wrap the worm around it, avoiding the pointy end. ”Ew, ew, ew…” she repeated under her breath as the worm slipped and slid through her fingers. Sewing experience was absolutely useless when trying to tie a wiggling, slimy, little-

A slip of her fingers, and the worm impaled itself on the hook. It didn’t bleed, but Rosela felt as though she had been splattered with the lifeblood of the disgusting little creature. Her lips drooping in an almost caricature-like sadness, she held the hook out for I’sona to see, waddling after her into the water. Two spare hands lifted her skirt away from the tide. ”I think I killed it…” She knew logically that the poor, ugly thing was going to get eaten anyway, but to kill it, and then continue holding it in her hands was another thing.

Lip trembling, she looked down into the water ebbing around their ankles. ”Ok then… I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone not use a pole…” Attempting to compose herself, she sniffled and straightened, wiping her two remaining spare hands compulsively on her skirt.

"Do we just toss it out there, then?"

[I'sona]

I’sona giggled as the Rosela made faces but the merriment was as short lived as the baits life. The Charoda felt her face pale and she turned away, to see anything die was unpleasant. Without looking she reached for the line, “Yes, it is not moving no more.” This was said somberly and she once more felt the homesickness wash over her. Things were not so violent at home because they did not need to catch fish like this because no one ate them. People did not need to fight because they didn’t do things that land people did. Her eyes turned glassy as she stared at the worm, her face mirroring Rosela’s trembling. She wasn’t sure what to say anymore so instead she reached out to hold one of the octopus womans’ hand and lead her knee deep in the water. It was cold but not unbearable, still warm in the sun but cooling and showing the coming cold weather of Winter that would soon follow Autumn. Licking her lips and trying to focus she remembered she was trying to help the other woman learn with her. “Fishes eat the worms so we throw it out,” she mimed throwing it and handed the line back to Rosela, “you are having to throw it in any direction.” “I do not know if peoples are supposing to use ‘poles’ I likes to fish with my net. It much better and there is no bait.” Watching the sky she had the urge to run into the water and swim away but it was as if Riverfall had caught her on its hook. She couldn’t leave yet. She just wished she didn’t feel so…odd. No one was rude but there were not many Charoda in the city either, it made her sad. Her gaze finally returned to her ‘student’ and I’sona watched her carefully, maybe the woman was just like her, after all she had never seen anyone with so many arms! “Fishing is lots of waiting. Lots.” she emphasized finally, "You are not minding to wait?"

[Rosela]

I’sona seemed as uncomfortable with the dead worm as Rosela, though she took it from Rosela’s trembling fingers anyway. Her interpretation of death was odd, as though not moving anymore was the only result of it. The terrible but now-familiar image of the Grandmother’s death raced through her mind. Death and blood and the twang of a bow that gave her a new life. A tremble ran over her arms, and she was pulled back to the present by I’sona’s touch. The Charoda skin was unpleasant as she grabbed her hand, pulling her deeper into the water. It felt like a rubber water bottle, smooth and pliant, but unnerving to feel move. Her hands gathered her skirt higher, away from the cool water as they moved in. She briefly considered just letting it drop – who knew what lecher was watching behind them, waiting for the tide to rise – but she kept it up. She didn’t know how long she’d have to wait for this whole fishing thing to be over, and she didn’t want to do it while dragging around a soaking dress. Her sandals would survive, and she was grateful for them as they stepped over small rocks in the submerged sand. The easiest way to break in soles was with water anyway, and she’d have time to dry them properly at home. I’sona made an obviously practiced motion of tossing out the hook before giving it to back. As much as Rosela wanted to leave that lesson for another day, she took it back, pinching it at the top, away from the worm and hook. Looking out into the water, she made a valiant effort of not staring at the worm. ”Maybe I should learn how to swim then, if only to not deal with icky worms anymore…” Her throw was much less graceful, but it got the job done as the hook plunked into the water several body lengths out. The fishing line cast out as well, coming to rest on top of the water when the hook settled. A sigh of triumph escaped her as the worm was finally out of sight, and she instantly felt better. Dead things were best out of sight and out of mind. ”Lots?” She looked quickly to her new teacher with the word. ”How much time are we talking about? Chimes? Bells?” Staring back out to the water, she wrapped one pair of arms around her middle nervously. ”How many fish does one hook bring in? What kind of fish to time ratio are we looking at here?” She didn’t have the time to be out all day for only a couple fish. How did people actually make a living at this?

[I'sona]

A safe topic away from the worms and her own thoughts and I’sona latched onto it quickly, her words tumbling out and nearly being lost in with the sounds of the waves, “Swimming is a goodly thing to know, then you is never drowning and you can find pretty treasures!” Her temporary student seemed impatient, her sudden barrage of questions leaving I’sona confused for a few moments before she shook her head and watched the line. Rosela seemed to have done it right, at least as far as she knew, there was bait and it was farther out to sea where fish would likely be. Then again, the Charoda didn’t exactly remember having seen swordfish migrate this far… “Fish to time ratio is lots,” she said again, slower this time, “Is not always the same time. Fish sometimes not wanting to get caught, sometimes is too cold and I is not really fishing like this often. With net is quick but I can be trying lots of times. Waiting for fishes is most of wait and when they eat worm we catch them.” She wasn’t sure if she explained it all properly but she didn’t really understand the question either. She didn’t mind waiting, she liked feeling the water cool around her and watching the clouds stroll by. It didn’t bother her if she had to stand there all day really. Rubbing her arms I’sona prepared herself to do just that when the line jerk. It was slight and she leaned towards Rosela curiously, could she have already caught something? Splash. They had! That or the waves were tugging strongly at the line due to the breeze but a second splash confirmed her thoughts. Pointing towards whatever they caught I’sona mimed pulling the line and spoke rapidly. “You musts be pulling, like this I thinks.”

[Rosela]

Common, Arumenic The thought of pretty treasures on the ocean floor brightened the prospect of swimming considerably. She imagined coming across a field of pearl oysters, or a secret sunken treasure. Getting food and money in one go seemed to be quite the idea. One lucky dive and she’d never have to fish for her food again… Rosela blinked a few times as she tried to process I’sona’s words. Her own Common wasn’t perfect, but it was easily to get lost in the Char accent. ”Oh,” she said lamely, trying to hide her disappointment at what appeared to be a warning that they’d be here a while. ”I guess if that’s what we have to do…” She couldn’t back out now that they were in the thick of it. She’d already butchered a worm; if she could just be patient, how much worse could it get? She missed the first jerk of the line, instead noticing I’sona’s sudden movement. Glancing back and forth between her new teacher and the line, and waved her hands in a panic as the line clearly jerked again. ”Oh, oh, that’s a fish, isn’t it?!” All six hands snatched the line out of the water, imitating I’sona’s pull. The thin line hurt her palms as she fought the fish on the other end, but she wrapped the line around her two furthest hands and slowly backed out of the water. Biting her tongue, she made it back to the sand as the fish flopped more wildly in the shallower water. Grinning like a madwoman, she pulled the fish out of the water with a quick succession of hands down the line. ”Haha! You stupid fish, I’ve- Ahhh!!” Now that the fish was out of water, it flopped ever more desperately, nearly hitting one of Rosela’s arms. She’d logically known what fish looked like, but to see one dangling so close to her was even more horrifying. At least the worm had had the decency to die quietly. ”Alubia elesmeck! Rak burugaiden! Stupid fish! Take it, take it!” Nearly in tears, she danced away awkwardly, trying to hold the fish as far away from her as possible, all hands but the one holding it cringing into her body. Jumping around on her toes, she held it out for I’sona. ”Help! How do you make it stop?!”