Hook, Line, and Sinker (Open)

[Lydia]

Spear-fishing.

Whoever had invented this damnable excuse for a sport was either an idiot, a masochist, or both. There was nothing more frustrating than trying to impale a quick, wriggling aquatic animal with a long, awkward pole. It was, to put it lightly, bloody terrible.

The young woman, enveloped in her cloak despite the warmth, sat cross-legged on a rock overhanging a slow-moving river, jabbing a long pole at random into the clear water and each time shaking her head as the dark shapes of fish simply darted aside and then resumed their meandering.

"Damn spear-fishing. Who invents such a thing? Who can even hit a fish with the spear? I'd have more luck throwing rocks in the water and blasting them out!"

The pupil was fuming, jerking the spear and slamming it as if the sheer force of her frustration would catch fish. She'd much rather be doing something pleasant, like reading poetry or attempting new ridiculous scientific endeavors. Or playing the cello. Or singing. But spear-fishing? Why was she even spear-fishing in the first place?

Her mind slowly analyzed the lead-up to this afternoon in hell.

"It will be fun," they said.
"It will build character," they said.
"You could use the fresh air," they said.
"You could use the relaxation," they said.

"Right. I'll give it another fifteen minutes, and then I'll spear-fish them right through the face. That'll show them what I think of spear-fishing!"

Lydia growled angrily, jabbing the pole in the air and gesticulating wildly. What was the point of wasting an afternoon poking at trout?

[Tiz]

Spear fishing.

Anyone brilliant enough to come up with this idea surely knew how to combine practicality and fun expertly. Tiz smiled brightly, all alone, as he stood aboard his small wooden canoe, spear in hand. As it traveled lazily down the river, his eyes shown brightly as they followed the myriad of fish around him. Laughing to himself as he did, he shoved his spear down into the water, nabbing fish after fish, collecting them in the back. He stood on it as if it were a board, piercing wildly into the slow-moving water, distorting his view as he created splashes and waves that sent fish in every direction around him. His canoe rocked a little more, and he laughed, giddy with joy. This was a blast, AND it provided dinner for the night. As long as he was home in Lycia, he could have fun doing just about anything. The only thing this adventure needed was a friend, perhaps Myscha or Dak. But... neither of them had been around in a few weeks. And the last time Dak was around, it didn't go well. Tiz's brow furrowed a moment. Maybe not. Maybe it was better to be alone. He wasn't quite sure.

As he came down river, still standing aboard his canoe, he saw a woman in a cloak playing with a spear. "Another fisherman?" the young man asked himself, keeping his eyes trained on her. He was still a good distance up the river from her, but she could no doubt see him. With a gentle smile, he raised his hand up above his head, saying hello.

Then he focused back down as his tiny boat traveled, looking for fish. "Gotcha!" He cried with glee, throwing his spear down into the water. But it was an illusion, a dark spot in the water that was much deeper than he anticipated, and not a fish. Perhaps his eyesight wasn't as good as he thought at first...

The shift in motion, and his spear falling down into the hole, on top of his poor balance atop a craft that was meant to be sat in all contributed to what then happened to the young swordsman. His boat floundered, throwing him over, tipping the canoe over on its backside, throwing Tiz into the water. He got completely soaked, scaring all the fish away from him, and he lost his entire catch to gods-knew-where in the river.

He fought the gentle current enough to put himself back above the water, spitting some out of his mouth. He was only a few feet away from the woman in the hood. How strange, on such a nice day, he thought. He smiled sheepishly at her, raising his hand up again, out of the water, to greet her. "Uh, hey," he said, laughing a little.

[Bree]

Axe fishing.

... Was fortunately not a thing. Bree looked to her left, following the bending of the river with her eyes. She had been wandering for what felt like ages now, with not a single sign of any rebellion to join - and, worse yet, without the slightest idea that she wasn't even in Bern anymore. In truth, the redhead had left her home country weeks ago, but she hadn't even the sense to ask anyone where she was, nor a map to guide her; the young axe-swinger was well and truly lost. At least Mother Nature was able to keep her hale and hearty; no matter where she went, there always seemed to be fresh water and food, if you knew where to look for it. But the paths she had been taking seemed to be fairly devoid of people... There had been a few travelers who talked to her for one afternoon when she had been traveling along an actual road, but even that had come to an end before the sun set.

Bree kicked a small rock a few feet in front of her, watching it bounce along, until she caught up with it - and then she kicked it again. It wasn't a whole lot of fun, but it was something to do, and the physical activity took her mind off the weight of the pack and axe she carried on her back. Some dried food, a canteen of water, and a good bit of iron, none of which she had had to use. She could find fresh food, which was better than the food she had taken from home, and the river provided her water - although she did fill her canteen every once in a while anyway. The axe... Had mostly been used for cutting wood. A fire at night was always nice, after all...

The girl kicked the rock again, and then stopped. Something had definitely just made a big splash... Bigger than anything a fish could make, at least. Unless it was a monster fish! That would be pretty darn cool to see. Getting more excited than she ought to have, Bree picked up her pace, scanning the river hurriedly - until she saw the man floating in the water on the opposite bank, treading water in front of a person who was awfully overdressed for such pleasant weather. Bree's beaming grin drooped at the realization that there wasn't a monstrous fish in the water, but it soon perked up again as she shouted across the flowing water.

"Heeeeeeeello over there!" The young redheaded lumberjack's daughter grinned, waving her right hand wildly over her head. Her own outfit, in contrast to the person sitting on the other side of the river, was well-suited for the weather - a sleeveless shirt paired with a pair of light-weight pants, although the boots Bree wore had her feet feeling like they were on fire. She suddenly wondered whether or not the man in the water hadn't just decided to go for a swim, and then her mind turned to thinking about jumping in herself... But what about her bag of supplies and her axe? Hm...

[Lydia]

"Hi?"

The man, who clearly was much better at spear-fishing than she, was now sopping wet and greeting her from in the water. What an unusual man. Turning away briefly, Lydia tossed her pole aside, then took off her cloak, quickly rolling down her dark sleeves and heading down to the waterside. She extended one pale hand towards the man from the safety of the stable stones on the bank.

"Here, grab on."

It was really the thought that counted; anyone could see that she would be little use in actually pulling the man from the water. The sleeves were tight, and there were no bulging, sculpted biceps protruding. Not on this girl, at least.

Then there was the other girl, who looked about Lydia's age, on the other side of the river. She looked to be tough enough, the sort of wiry tough that one expected. Kind of a mountain man look, except more feminine and young. Mountain lass, maybe. That might work. Mountain lass.

"Um, hi," Lydia called across the river. "I wasn't expecting to see anyone around... The... weather is nice, isn't it?"

Great conversational skills, Lyds. Why don't we also hoist a sign saying "I'm a stupid kid who's out of place?" Gritting her teeth, the pupil inwardly cursed her awkward outburst. She should've left it at "hi." There was no reason to ramble and look stupid... But what was the guy doing? Standing in a canoe? Who does that? And the girl, just showing up... What kind of luck is that?

[Tiz]

After shaking the water out of his hair, Tiz smiled, laughing a bit as he declined her hand up, though he smiled at her so she knew he appreciated the gesture. She was likely too frail to help him in any case, and he enjoyed lying in the water. He stuck his mouth underwater and turned to the other side of the bank, looking at this new person who also decided to join the party. Tiz was curious. He thought this location was pretty remote, but things seemed to be more popular than he expected. Oh well, he thought, the more the merrier. Although, he was surrounded by a bunch of kids...

He popped his mouth out of the water and squirted a jet of water out lazily, having no concern for the quality or content of the water. He swam smoothly a few feet down the river, enjoying himself, then dove under and opened his eyes, looking around. The water was just clear enough to see some things, but not a lot. He looked around as the fish swam near him, passing by him as if he were just another stone in the bed of the river. He wished he hadn't lost his catch... it would've made good dinner.

Eventually, he came back up and towards the bank. The young man hoisted himself up on the bank, taking a seat next to the girl that had offered to help him up. He shook his wild hair out again, running his hands through it in an effort to clean it of all the water. He smelled like river, but it didn't bother him much. He loved swimming. He watched the girl across the bank, curious about who she was and what she was doing. These two had been fishing, but he had no idea why this kid was here.

"Hi," he said gladly, turning his head towards the girl next to him. He turned up to the sky, the happiness in his eyes radiating as he considered how beautiful the day was-- not a cloud in the sky, and the gentle breeze kissing his skin was a nice touch. He looked back to her. "I haven't had weather this great in a while. It's good for fishing. You want me to show you?"

He laughed a moment before standing up. "Oh, I'm Tiz. Nice to meet you."

[Bree]

Bree smiled and nodded at the girl across the river. "Sure is! The journeygal looked at the two from her side of the river, placing one hand on her hip and the other pushing her mess of red hair back as she thought. There wasn't really a good way to cross the river with her pack and her axe, and the young woman did really want to get over there, even if the man and woman on the other bank wound up being company only for a short while...

Ah, maybe that was her answer! There was a small wooden vessel on the water - maybe that was where the man had come from? "Hey! Do you mind if I use your raft thingy to get my stuff across the river? I can share some of my food with you!" Bree called out over the water, beaming. She was rather proud of herself for thinking that solution up. And, hey, even if she didn't get permission... Maybe she could throw her stuff over to the other side of the river? The redhead was almost sure she could make it, but if she couldn't... All of her supplies would most definitely be ruined by a trip to the bottom of the river, and that wouldn't be good at all. "See, I wanna swim, but I don't wanna get all my stuff wet..." Bree explained, setting her pack down on the ground in front of her.

"... Oh! By the way, my name is Bree, haha!" Introducing yourself to total strangers who you were separated from by a slowly moving body of water? Sure, why not! Certainly there have been worse ideas.

[Lydia]

"Tiz. Hello, Tiz. My name is Lydia. And... I guess you could, if you want. But I doubt I can do it. I'm not very good at things like that."

The pupil shook her head, mouth in a line that seemed to convey the ambivalence that came through in her voice. Clearly, she couldn't spear-fish. And most likely, she'd be able to if she was taught. But she'd never ask; she had already told herself that she was simply unable to do it.

When the girl called across, Lydia shrugged. It wasn't her call, but Tiz seemed pretty easygoing. He had, after all, been standing in a canoe as he floated downriver, spearing fish like a boss.

"Hi. Bree. Hi, Bree."

The sentence was a bit disjointed at first as Lydia fought the natural instinct to go crawl under a rock and relieve herself of the swirling misgivings and feelings of anxiety. These two were so joyful and self-assured. Couldn't they see that she was woefully incompetent? Were they already sharing in their own private joke, cackling inwardly over her lack of any sort of sporting talent?

What on earth was she even doing out here? Why had she listened to them in the first place and come spear-fishing? Who spear-fished? Except for that Sacaean-looking guy? No wonder he was good at spear-fishing! Sacaeans were naturally good at hunting and fishing and berry-picking and all of that. It was just... In their blood. Like green hair and that peculiar lilt in their voice.

[Tiz]

"Hi Lydia," Tiz said bright, kneeling down next to her, looking into the water. "Pleasure to meet you. And yeah, I'm gonna teach you how it's done. You'll love it, I promise." He smiled at her. Her honestly wasn't sure that she would; it wasn't necessarily enjoyable on its own, unless you had an affinity for it, or if you put a fun spin on it, like he had from his canoe. He did much enjoy the adrenaline rush from a good time. It was in his nature to enjoy life in such a way, and most of the things he did reflected that nature.

His ears perked up, and Tiz turned to the girl across the bank. The river wasn't terribly loud, but he felt bad because she had to talk a little louder to reach them. Poor girl. He wondered if she could swim at all. "Yeah! Yeah, hold on." He called out across the bank. He stood up, unhinged his sword from his waist and laid it down on the ground next to Lyida. "Be right back," he said with a smile, and dove back into the river. He swam over to his canoe; the current was slow and gentle, so it hadn't been pushed far, and it had met the bank further down the river. He grabbed it with one had and then swam over to the other side of the bank where the red-haired girl stood waiting. He turned the canoe around in the water, and patted it twice, indicating it was ready for her.

He donned a fake noble voice, joking around, hoping that his mock was decent enough. He wasn't an impersonator, but whatever. "Here you are, miss Bree, my lovely lady! One canoe, of perfect shape, fit for a queen!" He chuckled a little, then dove back under the water, swimming past the fish as he did, and climbed back up the bank on the other side. He collected his fishing spear from the mud and shook it off. Then he turned back to Lydia.

With a bright, happy smile, he addressed her. "On your feet, soldier. This task is of the greatest import. Prepare to learn how to spear fish."

[Bree]

Bree laughed at the man's goofy voice, not to mention the words he had directed at her. "Haha! Thanks a bunch... Though I hope it's also good enough for just my stuff, since it's not very queenly or anything." The redhead mused aloud as Tiz dove once more. She laughed aloud again at her own words before dropping her pack, axe, and boots into the canoe, and then dove into the water herself.

The water was pleasant. It was exactly as lazy as the surface would had had the young journeygal believe, and was pleasantly cool compared to the warmth of the world above. Bree kicked and broke the surface, taking a big gulp of air before breaking into a huge grin. Then began her slow swim over to the other side, dragging the bulky, awkward canoe behind her as she swam over to the two strangers.

The redhead couldn't help but think about the way she had learned to swim as she kicked her way toward the other bank - her older cousins had thrown her into a small lake, and then it was a case of sink or swim. Of course, she had sunk, but those cousins figured that it would probably be a good idea to not drown her, and had instead shifted gears and helped her out. Bree may not have been swimming like a fish by the time the week was out, but splashing around and not drowning was pretty great.

[Lydia]

On your feet? Soldier? Lydia was no soldier. She laughed aloud, not at Tiz, but at the obvious result that would arise if she ever was chosen to be part of a military ensemble. It would be chaos, as she threw sticky globs of somehow-painful shadows at people, hiding behind everyone else and wilting at the sight of anyone who possessed overwhelming skill.

Ah, she'd make a great commander one day.

Grabbing her spear, she rose nimbly from the rock she had just recently resettled upon and stood beside the man, looking him over quizzically. Besides being thoroughly damp, he was tall, lean, and clearly looked Sacaean. He also bore a sword, and had the air of one who'd come through the military and left with his stomach full of the good fats of command. He was no grunt, it seemed.

"I've been at this for over an hour, and I've gotten nothing but frustrated. I tell you, spear-fishing must be the most impossible 'sport' made by man. Good grief. How is one supposed to get close to a fish with such a long, rigid pole? It's about as maneuverable as a water buffalo."

The pupil shook her head.

"I seriously considered trying to blast them out of the water with a rock, or maybe magic. But I don't know how magic would interact with the water, or the fish. The last thing I want is to completely ruin the stream by mutating a school of trout. I'd never live that down."

[Tiz]

Tiz placed a hand on his hip, looking out a few feet as Bree approached. "You too, kiddo. Come here," he said, as if the likely ten-year difference was an actual issue. Perhaps he could play babysitter for a while and teach some people how to fish. Fishing was fun... He hadn't done much of it since his own teen years back in Sacae, but regardless, he was still pretty proficient. Something he was proud of, in a silly way.

"I gotcha," Tiz said, the tones of understanding present in his voice. He knelt down to get a little more level with the girl, and held out his own fishing spear. "Now, some people will tell you that you have to be patient, to wait for the right time to strike. Some people will say patience is the key to fishing..." His eyes turned back to her, wild with excitement. "But that's not true. Fishing is fierce and energetic and requires stamina and effort. The harder and faster you try, the more likely you are to get one. These trout swim in schools, see?" He stood up, walked closer to the bank, and wildly threw his spear in the water, dipping in and out three times. Of three tries, he came up with two fish, speared through their middles.

He smiled happily, setting them aside. "Just watch the water. Watch for and study the movements of these little guys. They're not too smart, and their movements are pretty predictable-- get a little lead on 'em, dive down, and move faster than they can! Don't worry about not being able to see once you start splashing, there are plenty of them down there. You should get at least one if you don't give up."

Tiz walked back to her, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. She seemed discouraged. "Maybe a fish off, once I make you a master." He winked jokingly.

[Bree]

Bree was pulling herself up onto the land once more as the fishing lesson was starting, and watched the man closely as he jabbed into the water. Out of the three jabs, he brought up two fish - those were certainly some good odds made better by years of practice, or just a natural talent for the motions. And this method of fishing was certainly a lot different from the way her family did it; they had a wooden rod, some string, and a little makeshift hook on the end that they'd stick bait on. Fishing that way was certainly a lot less physically involved than this method of stabbing into the water... But, at the same time, this looked a whole lot more fun!

But before she could bother Lydia or Tiz about trying it herself, there was the issue of her supplies. The young redhead pulled the canoe onto the bank before grabbing her pack, axe, and boots out, all of which she dumped into a small pile near where the other two were doing their spear fishing. And then she hurried on back, beaming at the man. "Hey, can I try that?" she inquired, staring intently at the man's sharpened stick before staring him straight in the eye. "... Oh, unless she's going to go first! I can wait my turn, or... Or I could go make my own pointy stick! That would work too, right? Unless you'd rather I throw a fire together, and I could cook the fish you catch! That'd be fine by me too!" Bree's smile faded a little as she turned her gaze over to the river... And then back to the girl.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite make out your name while I was over there!" The redhead took a step closer to the blonde girl, grinning. "I think it was something like... Lyn? No, no, that's not right... Ah, sorry about that. But... I haven't seen another girl my age for what feels like ages!" Bree grinned, plucking at the soaked material of her shirt in the short lull in her speech. "... So yeah! I just wanted to, y'know, actually say a real hello, instead of the shouting across the river one."

[Lydia]

"Some people will say patience is the key to fishing... But that's not true. Fishing is fierce and energetic and requires stamina and effort."

"Oh, boy. Fierce. Energetic. Let's... Try."

Lydia lifted up the spear, aimed it, and slammed it into the water at random, once, twice, thrice... Hey! HEY!

The spear came up with one fish, on the end of the spear, the shaft neatly punched through the fish.

"IT'S A FISH! IT'S A FISH! TAKE THAT, ALL YOU VINDICTIVE, HATEFUL, SPITEFUL DEITIES! I CAUGHT A DAMNED FISH, AND I DIDN'T EVEN PRAY FOR IT!"

Grabbing the spear, she wove it around in triumph before ripping the fish off, holding it, and looking at it vehemently. She'd caught a fish! Yes! YES!

Without a second thought, the wispy pupil gave Tiz a huge, one handed hug, before giving the spear over to Bree, who no doubt thought she was completely insane.

"Sorry about that. I'd been at it for so long, and I never caught anything... But now! Now I have a fish!"

Wait, she'd asked her name. Time to be polite, and not act like a lunatic. Get it together, Lyds.

"My name's Lydia. It's nice to meet you, Bree. You seem like you're quite at home in the wilderness here. I envy you. I've always been more at home in a book than in a forest. So... Yeah, hear, why don't you give it a try? I think I'll stop while I'm ahead. Maintain face."

Lydia handed Bree the spear, smiling a bit bashfully. She'd been too energetic. They'd think she was nuts.

[Tiz]

Laughing heartedly, Tiz returned Lydia's affectionate and energetic hug. His favorite thing in the world was seeing people get excited when they could do something cool that they couldn't before. Maybe he wasn't the best teacher, no, but this he could handle. Teaching someone to fish was second nature! He'd been doing it himself since he could walk. He enjoyed it, but he enjoyed more when he could get other people to enjoy it.

The man looked at Lydia's fish. Okay, he thought, nice catch. Pretty solid-- especially for a first attempt. He was pleased. "Nice job!" He said, genuinely impressed. "But I think I'll just have you beat," he finished jokingly. As the girl offered Bree the spear, Tiz put his in the ground and placed his hands on his hips. This would be a fun trip. He'd teach them both to fish, then make them face each other in competition. He could judge. It would be a blast, and then they could all eat together once a fire was built. He was in the mood for fish anyway... Yes, this would work out splendidly.

"Anybody can be at home in nature with a little effort," Tiz said, his finger pointed up in the air as if he were explaining something of great import. His goofy smile still lined his face, excited that he'd been afforded this kind of opportunity. He turned to Bree. "Alright, you ready? Same as before, with Lydia. Be wild, fierce. Enjoy it! Become one with your weapon!" He joked, leading the girl to the water's edge. He pointed her in the direction of a small school, as if she wouldn't be able to see it herself.

"That's it. That's money. That's your dinner right there. Now get it!"