Reici's New Fish
Growing warm under the covers, a fox Annie slowly opens her eyes, awakening from her peaceful slumber. She sits up slowly, and feels the covers fall off her head. Stretching and yawning, she greets the day with a smile as she steps off her bed. Click. She hears the sound reverberate through the room. Nothing was out of place. The sliding door closed as she left it. Her chair hadn’t been moved again, (she never did forgive those mischievous cousins of hers for that prank the night she forgot to lock them in) and nobody seemed to have broken in. But as she readies herself for the day ahead something clicks in her head.
Today was fresh fish day. Some new species were due in, and not even the Lorsh would stop Reici from getting one of them.
Invigorated at the prospect of tasting new fishies, she springs into action with a happy bark and nearly rushes out the door in excitement before remembering that she can’t yet. Brushing her teeth was a tedious but necessary chore, and she wanted to smell her stinky breath about as much as others did. Her hair, she understood even less, and didn’t enjoy something she couldn’t even understand the result of; cosmetics really didn’t appeal to her for obvious reasons. And changing into her clothes by feel at record-breaking speeds, there was only one thing standing between her and her prized fish: her four-legged cousins.
She walked to a door at the back of the room and could hear her smaller family members pipe up in anticipation. Stopping right by their cries she reached out and found the door was still, thankfully, unbroken. She couldn’t smell anyone recently passing through so they couldn’t have broken out at night. Made things easier for her.
Opening her door, she was assailed by the familiar scents of all her family members. The scampering of little paws on the tiles approached her from every side as they rushed to greet their older family member. Reici responds with an energetic “Hey, everyone!” She could pick them out individually. Young Aki was sitting on her right foot, bold and affectionate as ever. Hoku sat in a corner, probably observing everyone else like the proud old man he was. Todamashu was excited as Reici herself; he was pretty smart and always knew somehow when it was new fish day. Shinda stayed right by his side; wherever he went, she had to follow, her crush as big as ever. She shoved Benchu over to the side in rejection, only for him to rush back over, having failed to take the hint yet again. Chvek stayed off to the side with Juven, surrounded by all their little kits, dutifully and lovingly caring for each and every one of them. And Francisco… Reici wasn’t sure what Francisco was doing, but he seemed to be rolling around somewhere in the center of the room, entirely oblivious to what was going on. The list went on and on… but she was content with her large family. They kept her company, and the language of the fox was essentially her native tongue. But she didn’t need any of that to know that they were all hungry.
Hmmm, Reici thought to herself. Toda didn’t get to go last time, so he probably would wanna go. Where Toda went, Shinda followed. That’s two already… and perhaps Francisco oughta go out but… nah, not after he caused a stand to collapse last time by attempting to “fetch” part of it. Hoku probably needed the exercise, though, and perhaps I’ll take Aki this time. “Aki, Hoku, Shinda, Todamashu! We’re going out!” The ones she called out came to attention right at her feet, while the others slunk back, a little dejected. Sadly, it would be a handful to take them all, especially on a day as special as this one. But they knew they’d get their fills as soon as she returned with the new specimens in paws. Leading the four out of the room and shutting the door, she prepared herself and walked out the front door.
“Alright, everyone! Let’s get us some fishies!”
Even as the day was just beginning, the market was already rather busy. Reici could hear it before she could smell it today, and even before she arrived. People were running about like their heads were on fire; she had to take a long sniff of the air to confirm that wasn’t the case. With a quick Click! Reici could tell the usual crowd was setting up for the day. Nobody was open yet, but that was just fine with her. Besides, that’ll change very, very soon. In fact… she could hear a few people open their stalls in the distance. Darting through the crowds with vulpine friends in tow, she arrived at the source of the sound but… to her distress, there were no fish! But it was fine; it’s a big market, after all, so they were bound to be SOMEWHERE in the noise… right?
Right?
But as the minutes passed, the spark of hope inside Reici continued to slowly die out as she passed stand after stand after stand trying to pick up the scent of fish… but there was none. Reici and her friends slowed their pace and their ears drooped as they all grew disheartened by the seeming lack of fish. It was her favorite and it was (partially) why she moved here, looking for exciting species of fishies to try. But how could she survive without FISH?! It was tragic, it was horrible, it was-
sniff, sniff “Wait… was that… FISH!”
It was this day that the Lorsh decided to grace Reici with salvation from hunger. She was sure of it, although it wasn’t all that strong a scent. But it mattered not; fish was fish, regardless of quantity. And off she dashed, seeking her fishy reward. She picked up a few in her path, but she already knew exactly where and when to dodge as she pursued her goal, guided only by the scent lingering on the winds. But she knew and shot forward like an arrow, in single-minded pursuit of her goal. Until at last it was so close, so very close, and-
“Miss, watch out! Hold on aaaaaaaaaaaaa-”
Reici stopped in front of the fish, but she could swear the fish was screaming…. No, that wasn’t the fish. Click click click. It’s a person. A taller person, but probably close to the height of an average man. Seems to be wearing… long sleeves, and the voice had the flow of a man’s voice. His heart was racing and he was breathing rather heavily. Sadly, all of these things disqualified the shape in front of her from being called a fish. Still, the seafood remained, and she wasn’t terribly familiar with this person’s scent.
“...Excuse me, miss. Um, is there something I can help you with?” the man before her finally found the strength to speak. Reici finally realized she was rather close to the man, close enough to feel his breath. In fact, their eyes probably would’ve met. A bit too close. She mentally chided herself and backed off a couple inches before continuing in true Reici fashion. "SIR! You smell like fish! Where are your fishes?! ...Unless... that's your natural body odor?"
The man seemed to take a step back in shock, trying to grasp the situation. “I-I’m sorry? I mean, yes, I am, indeed, carrying fish. I can’t possibly smell like it, though, right?…. Wait miss, who are you exactly?”
Reici would have none of it. “Nuh-uh, Mother told me once that it’s only polite when asking someone who they are to introduce themselves first. So who are YOU, sir?” Aki, too, seemed curious of the new man’s identity as he slowly approached him, likely not doing anything good for the man’s nerves.
The man paused for a second, likely collecting his thoughts for a moment before he spoke up, a bit more confident this time. “My apologies, you are correct in this regard. My name is Ryuusei, and I live in this town. Now, if I may ask again, ma’am, who are you?”
“There we go!” Reici replied, somewhat enthusiastically. “My name is Reici, and I’m on a mission to get me some fishies! So, Ryuusei, you have fish, yes? Where’d you find it?”
But Ryuusei had absolutely devastating news. “Ah, yes. There was a man back there who gave me the preserved leftovers of yesterday’s stock, but I obtained the last of his stock for now. Sorry about that. I think he was the last for today, too. Not many fish were sold yesterday so they didn’t catch that many this morning. Anyone else selling it is likely to be selling the preserved leftovers from yesterday.”
Preserved? Preserved?! This was a disaster! A tragedy! No new fresh fish on fresh fish day! How is this possible?! “But… but it’s fresh fish day… I was so excited for it. I....” Reici’s ears and tail hung down as she lamented the lack of her treasure, her much-anticipated desires. Preserved fish could not compare to the taste of freshly-caught fish. Even her companions seemed to understand, whining in the background. “W..well, thank you anyway. Have a good day...” And so she turned to walk away, dejected by fate.
“W-wait. If you want fresh fish and have a little money on you, I think I can help.” Ryuusei attempted to grab her attention. “I can try to get some for you using my own skills, if you’d like. There should be some nearby.”
Reici could not believe her ears. Had she met a benevolent fish god? “YES YES HOLY BROWN COWS OF ASTER YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU KIND SOUL.” The foxes around her piped up in glee, swarming Ryuusei’s feet and in what almost appeared to be a dance of worship, yipping at him in glee. Reici herself emitted a few excited barks of her own. A startled Ryuusei’s heart skipped a beat before he collected himself and directed Reici over in the direction of the trees.
Dawn gave way to daytime as the sun hiked its way into the sky and beat down on the land below it. The birds flitted about, the beating of their wings almost lost in the wind running through the trees as the odd duo walked through the woods, the morning dew having almost completely evaporated at this point save for the tiny bits brushing against Reici’s sandals.
“So, as I’m sure you are aware, resource farming is controlled by the town itself to make sure resources are not used in excess. This usually works except for cases like the most recent batch, where too many fish were caught and not enough people bought them. We can’t catch more food than we are likely to eat, to make sure we don’t destroy the land around us. In this case, the fresh fish would have spoiled if they were left uncooked any longer. So they were preserved and will now be sold at a discount until they are all gone.” Ryuusei explained as they followed one of the rivers running out of the town. “Normally, this means that fishing for more would be a breach of the law. However, if the fish caught are rather few in number, it’s possible to catch them without harming the balance of nature.” Reici paid attention as best she could, using the sounds around her and the padding along of her fox family to guide her. “I can do just that.” They stopped where there seemed to be an unmistakable gurgle and a large gap in front of her. They were right at the riverbank. She had tried to hunt for fish here, but the river ran too fast to catch some of the best fish going downstream. Many of them were too fast and too slippery, so she resolved to turn to fresh fish day in the meantime.
“So, you’re going to catch the fish? They’re so fast and slippery in here even I can’t catch some of them.” Reici declared, filled with doubt. “I get close and the current rips them away, and it’s always with the tastiest of them all that escape.” Ryuusei then said “Well, while I typically don’t fight with this, I do have some survival skills with it.” Ryuusei paused, as if expecting some sort of response. Reici just tilted her head, confused on what “this” was. “What are you talking about?” she asked. Ryu’s voice took on a tone of confusion. “This contraption on my back, miss. My trusty bow and arrows. This is really one of the few things I’ll admit I’m proud of.” Reici Click!ed and detected a sort of tool on his back, but couldn’t tell what it was exactly. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ryuusei turned around. “Well, I appreciate getting close to your blessing by relying solely on its gifted senses, I suppose. I have with me a bow and quiver. With a little string I should be able to get you any fish you want.” Reici’s mouth watered at the thought of more fish. She won a game of life finding this man.
“Now, then. I understand that you might be undergoing training, as I know many residents of Valenoir are, but if I may be so bold I ask you open your eyes and look across the river and let me know if you see any fish amongst the rest. Simply point at the one you want when it passes and I will get it for you.” He seemed relaxed and calm as he spoke. But alas, he made a mistake.
“Opening my eyes won’t really help much, since I can only see in black.” Reici replied flatly. That, Ryuusei evidently hadn’t been expecting, his heart skipping a couple beats. “Sorry, can you explain?” he queried, seeking confirmation. “My eyes can’t see. That’s all.” Confirmed. Ryuusei stood in silence for a few seconds before continuing on. “So that wasn’t a training exercise to get close to your blessing, and you can navigate this well without sight?” Reici nodded. “Yep.”
Ryu did nothing for a few seconds before the grass rustled and he changed stance. She could hear the sound of something stretching. “...You wanted the fish I bought before, right?” Reici nodded. He stood perfectly still for 5… 10… 15… 20 seconds. Then… Twang! Something whistled through the air before breaching the water. He began pulling on something and after about 5 seconds a familiar-sounding creature bounced onto the shore, accompanied by an equally-familiar smell, her quadruped companions approaching to investigate. He caught a fish, just like that, from the shoreline.
Ryuusei swiftly put the fish to peace and turned in the grass again. “My apologies. It seems I got too excited over finally finding a resident in this town that didn’t see me as the archery professor, that I might have someone I could teach that would be simply excited to learn like the old days. Instead I made you bring up what must be a sore spot in your life. You may take this fish for free as repayment for my misstep.” Ryuusei reached out to her, his robes rustling, scent confirming his offer of one of Reici’s local favorites directly from the source. Perhaps he thought in bringing up such a “painful” topic and trying to impose upon her he must have caused some form of distress, and that in return she should take the fish without payment and they would not speak of this incident again.
He could not be more wrong.
“Excuse me,” Reici piped up, mildly infuriated, “but you said you wished for payment, and I agreed. I get along just fine as I am and don’t need handouts like that. So allow me to pay you. I won’t take the fish otherwise.” For the upteenth time that day, Ryuusei stood shocked in the face of Reici’s boldness. Reici had been amused at first, but now she just found it rather annoying how many times he was shocked in less than half a day since they met up for the simplest things. She opened her eyes so she could roll them. “Anyway, will you name your price or not? You will sell me this fish for no less than what I’d pay for it in the market!”
Fish boy was weird. He helped Reici out of the blue for seemingly no reason other than their unfamiliarity with one another, and then he just bumbles through the whole trip until he goes for a fish, and then he tries to give charity to her! Honestly,, Reici thought to herself, he really doesn’t seem one for conversation, and whoever taught him social etiquette needs to be taught a lesson themselves about not pitying others just for lacking something you don’t. People, I swear.
But as Reici walked on, she came to realize that she actually overall enjoyed the trip. She got fish and she got to meet someone rather interesting, but most importantly she got fishies! Until he tried to pity her, he was actually pretty nice and understanding, unlike many people Reici had seen in the past. Besides, she could not blame him for his misguided attempt at pity, as too many people seem to have that mistaken mentality. Perhaps she should meet with him again and teach him right. Valenoir was rather small, after all, so they’d be sure to cross paths again. He said along the way he was blessed by a… Koi, right?
Hmmm… I guess I did get a new fish today, and this one could turn out to be my favorite of all, fufufu.