Gone Fishing

Despite having made her best effort to adjust to life above the surface, it would be a lie to claim Saunton was not most comfortable on a boat. It was about as close as she could get to the waves without being reminded of how poorly suited to them her pin-like legs were; she may swim for her job but there was always a faint underlying feeling of shame whenever she had to make use of flippers. 

Enough of that, she was adamant this evening was going to be a good one. Focolar had invited her to spend the time fishing and sharing a couple of drinks, and more importantly, he’d promised they’d let anything a little too familiar go. After the lock on her apartment door clicked shut and she made a start for the lift, excited for him to see that she was wearing the summery dress he’d gifted her on their last outing. Without fail he would always highlight the joys in life. As she walked in the direction of the docks her mind drifted to how much of a blessing it had been to get a place so close to the shore, able to open her windows to a more calming ocean air compared to the thickness further into the city. The sound beneath her feet switched to something more wooden and she was pulled out of her thoughts by a familiar voice, “You really look lovely in that you know?” Now more aware, her gaze shifted to Focalar walking over, admiration in his eyes. She felt her face go warm and he took her hands, he leant in to kiss her and so she lowered her head in reciprocation, “well you helped me pick it out, and you’ve always had an eye for this sort of thing, I don’t know all that much about fashion on my own.” The immediate ‘nonsense’ look he shot her left her giggling as they approached his ship.

“Ladies first,” he extended an arm towards the stairs and offered Saunton a hand to support herself as she boarded, the waves were mostly quiet but he was aware she could be unsteady at times. She wandered over to lean on the railing, wistfully gazing out at the water sparkling under a sun that hung low in the sky. It was such a peaceful emptiness out there. The boat started drifting a little as Focolar released it from the dock and joined her on the deck, he started the engine and glanced over his shoulder, “Miss Dusknaut departing now,” he called with a little dramatic flare. A smile crossed her face despite wobbling at the sudden movement of it turning around, she’d always been fond of its funny name. 

The sail out maintained a similar calm energy and the pair exchanged casual words, catching up on recent events, commenting on shows they’d been watching and discussing silly hypotheticals. Sometime into the journey she could’ve sworn she’d seen a giant sailfin, prompting a brief tangent about surfacing.

“I know you chose to come up on land..but do you ever regret it?” The question came out of nowhere for him, the topic being some played out drama only moments before. His brow furrowed as he thought about how to respond,“Oh, why the sudden change in tone? You see something?” It was laced with concern, turning around in hopes he would spot whatever may have prompted her curiosity. Saunton sighed, wringing her hands as she looked out once more,
“Something like that..but do you? I never really got a choice in the matter, but I think about it a lot, I just wasn’t sure if others feel a similar pull.” Focolar paused to carefully consider her words, it was understandable why it lingered for her, but he wasn’t sure if it was asking for a specific type of answer.
“I don’t think so, no.” Another moment passed, “leaving was something I thought about for a long while, so by the time I ended up doing so my mind was fully decided; it helps things have gone well up here of course. I don’t think you’re weird for having those feelings though, especially considering how it’s all played out, and I’m sure there are some nauts who feel differently to me.” That was as good an answer as he could give, doing its best to be reassuring but stay honest. She nodded but still seemed a bit tense,
“That makes sense, yeah...thanks.” After checking the time and looking back at her he decided to switch off the motor and lower the anchor, walking over to place an arm over her shoulders.
“Here’s as good a place to fish as any, come on, we can break out the drinks and relax, okay?” His voice was gentle but encouragingly bright as a smile coloured it.
“Alright, sounds fun,” she returned the smile, walking down to the open back with him.

Saunton settled into one of the chairs as her partner went to fetch the fishing supplies and a cooler with their pre-mixed cocktails, when he walked back over he seemed very proud of himself for being able to carry it all at once. Setting it all down he finished with a bow, before grabbing two drinks, settling into his seat beside her and handing her the other once opened, “shall we?” Mood already lightened, her smile had widened into a proper grin and she tapped her can against his, “we shall.” She took a sip and was delighted by how pleasantly fruity it was; she hadn’t tried this mix before but it was worlds apart from the nasty beer one of her coworkers had offered her at a work dinner. Focolar flipped open the box of bait and stole a chunk of meat for himself, gesturing for her to try it as well, “tastes great so it should attract something great, hopefully.” Following his offer, she couldn’t disagree, only wondering what sort of fish it had come from. It might make for a good dinner if it wasn’t too expensive.

The pair prepared their lines, though she needed a little help with tying the knot, not quite having the dexterity he did with how she was made. They both muttered some vague wish to whatever ocean god for a successful catch and cast off, glinting hooks looking almost bronze in the warm light of the evening sun, there simply couldn’t have been a better time for the moment. Conversation slipped back into the more lighthearted tone from the trip over, returning to the question of if you’d take $10 million in exchange for a snail following you at all times which would instantly kill you if touched; he was convinced you could simply trap it in a well sealed box, but she argued the method it would kill you with would probably break that as well.

It wasn’t long until Focolar felt a tug on his line, bracing himself against the ship’s deck as he quickly started to reel in whatever had taken the bait. The fish seemed to be giving him quite a bit of trouble and in the midst of the fight he leant over to give Saunton a knowing grin, this was going to be a good one. Except it wasn’t. When he finally pulled the thing onto the boat it was tiny, a complete joke compared to the insane strength it had just shown; she couldn’t help but burst into laughter and he found himself joining in as he dangled the poor thing next to him for a picture. Into the bucket it went and he recast new bait, hopefully the next one wouldn’t be quite so deceptive.

Whatever was out there had apparently heard their wishes as their haul of decently sized fish slowly accumulated; everything had gone smoothly except for a few odd catches, namely a pufferfish close to the end and what seemed to be a bag of questionable medical supplies? The former had both broken his rod and nearly smacked him directly in the face, his reaction time slower a couple drinks in. He pouted over not being able to return the favour, the damned fish slipping back beneath the waves as she leant over to make sure he was still alright. The latter was handled very carefully, or as carefully as tipsy people could, and put away where neither of them would accidentally step on it. She’d joked about using it to heal his puffer wounds but again he insisted there were none, he was just as beautiful as ever, and she couldn’t disagree with that.

They were just about to finish up and put things away when Saunton was pulled off her chair by a bite, actively having to walk backwards whilst reeling in the line so she could avoid being pulled into the water. The line complained and seemed about to snap as Focolar held her by the waist to provide more resistance. There was a jolt and just like that it started being drawn in like nothing, causing them to fall back in a heap together. She would’ve been convinced the line had snapped if not for at least some water resistance, and once it surfaced at last they were provided with answers. A lockbox. A lockbox with great big teeth marks in it. Evidently they had been fighting with whatever had been carrying the thing, and it eventually gave up on the loot in favour of swimming free. She shuffled forwards to retrieve it and he picked himself off the floor, looking over with intense curiosity. Neither of them had any idea how to open it, but surprisingly the locking mechanism crumbled as soon as she tried it, revealing shiny coins gleaming within. Huge grins were shared and the wonderful treasure was tucked safely inside before getting to cleaning up the rest of the matter, in the end they just left the cooler out.

Golden hour had now given up a proper sunset and they pulled their chairs closer together, sharing a final cocktail as they watched warm colours dance in the sky. What a wonderful day it had been, and she sighed contentedly as she rested her head upon his shoulder.