Fishing for Fun [Open]

Someone had once told Casa that right after it rained was the best time to go fishing; the water settled and the fish felt free to come up and scrounge around without risk of the rain pelting them. As she glanced up at the heavy clouds that seemed to be slowly wandering away from the Weyr, she hoped that advice had been right. She had been asked to go fishing and seeing what she could find - fish made for a good meal when it could be found, and was great for preserving besides. Seeing as she enjoyed fishing, it wasn't much of a chore for her, and she had gladly accepted the task.

However, due to the fact the rain had cleared up, she wasn't in a position to pester her father for a ride to the lake. This meant she would have to try the river. She didn't seem to have as much success with the river. The moving water seemed to discourage the fish from curiosity of lures and baits as they moved along. However, she was willing to give it a try. And after a morning of washing and repairing her clothes, a trip to the river sounded much better and far more entertaining than checking glows or sorting vegetables.

Skipping outside, she scooped up her basket of bait, her net, and a pack full of meatrolls. She had also stuffed a couple pairs of pants in there; several of them had recently become more and more worn out. She would have to go request new clothes before much longer, and she didn't want to deal with the fuss of measurements and such. Or, the risk of skirts. She was 13 now, which meant she was destined to be forced into dresses soon. She wrinkled her nose and set out for the river side.

Upon arrival, it looked as if the river was mostly quiet. She didn't notice any riders or dragons, which meant the fish were more likely to catch. She threw the net out, pulling the edge onto shore and sitting on it while she munched on a meatroll. After brushing her hands clean, she pulled out one of her pairs of trousers and begin to sew in slow, even lines along the bottom hems, focusing on the soft sound of the river flowing by along and the minute, detailed stitches she was creating.

The quiet after a rain was enchanting to the adventurer extraordinaire. Most everything was still and silent, the humidity of the day washed away in a terrific downpour that left the temperature rather... Perfect. Perfect for what, you might ask?

Perfect for making trouble.

Apparently it was absolutely not okay to try to feed herd beasts bubbly pies in an effort to make their meat juicer, nor was it okay to create a moat around the pen so that it was harder for any potential killing creatures to get at them (the soft mud had made it all the ever to get started, though!), and it was even more not okay to go tramping through the lower caverns to get to his room covered in the thick layer of mud he was in. Hence a sack being packed with meat rolls and a waterskin and the orders to go away until he had washed off outside in the river and not a moment sooner.

Quenym gladly obliged.

He slipped through the forest beside the trail with ease, clambering over fallen logs and through puddles, getting his feet a dubious clean if nothing else about him was.

It wasn't long before he caught the gleam of water in the pale sunlight. A grin lit his face. Water games were just as much fun as moat-building! There was always the challenge of seeing whether he could catch a fish in his bare hands, or seeing how long he could stay underwater, or even diving for curious rocks that you could sometimes find at the bottom which he liked to make piles out of in the middle of nowhere.... Just to see what people would think of them. What he really needed, though, was a partner in crime for that last one.

His mind turned over likely candidates as he drew closer, finally spotting a girl on the edge. Casa! One of the other weyrbrats, she was curious and a fun explorer like him. They could have good times together.

After he did this one thing first.

Creeping up behind her until he stood no more than a few feet away, Quenym let out a scream and dashed forward, aiming to pass right next to her, and ran out into the waters, feeling them strip the thick layer of mud that was covering his body. He turned towards the girl with a grin, wanting to see her reaction.

As Quenym came barrelling through with his screech of delight, Dae yelped and pricked herself in the finger, following this immediately with a loud "Shards and Shells!" She whipped around to see who had caused the trouble - and immediately grinned. Quenym. "You awful monster!" she accused him playfully, grabbing the edge of the net (which was beneath him in the water), and tugging on it to cause him to fall. She giggled and picked up her sewing again after a minute, shaking her head as she watched him.

"You are a mess! Whaddaya do this time? Decide it was time to build a mud fort? Give someone besides yourself a mud bath?" She looked him over mock-dismally. He was a huge mixture of wet clothes, mischievous smiles, and bits of mud still stuck all over him. He was more of a troublemaker than her by far (maybe, she amended, thinking of an adventure that had involved dust everywhere and a bath afterwards), but she was fond of the fellow weyrbrat at well.

"When you are done scaring me to death, you might want to untangle yourself from my net!" she yelled helpfully, bursting into more giggling. "I even have food to share, and if we bring in a good selection of fish, I bet I can nick us some more sweets for dinner." Her eyes got big and she salivated at the thought of fresh pies or something similar. It was one of her favorite snacks, sweet things. Who didn't like sweet things?

Quenym was busy laughing at her accusation ('awful monster' indeed! He was a WONDERFUL monster!) when she tugged at the net beneath his feet. He fell back into the water, and came up sputtering and laughing as more and more of the mud was rinsed off from him. "I didn't do any of thoooose!" he exclaimed proudly. "I just was building a moat around the herdbeasts to protect them from the wild whers and wherries! It's not MY fault no one can appreciate my handiwork!" He dove under again to finish rinsing off.

When he came up again, he pickered his lips and let a slow stream of water spurt from them at Casa, but she was far too far away to be hit. Quenym sighed and let himself lean backwards to float on his back. "Fiiiine! I'm not on your net anymore! You are SUCH a big meanie, making me fall like that. Now we've probably scared aaaaalll the fish away." Taking a breath, Quenym dipped under the wayer, then came up and walked out towards the bank. "Though I will take you up on that sweets. Betcha I can get more than you," he dared, a gleam in his eyes.

He sat down next to her. "So. What's the deal with the fishing? Just fun? Or is there an amazing rare fish that's going to come up at any point and start attacking the weyr? Are you going to be the first defense? I don't know how you don't get bored with it. Takes forever for the fish to figure out they want the worms. I don't get it. When I'm hungry I just go for it, no nibbling around the edges before diving in like they do." It was a rush of words, forgetting to mention that he himself had brought food. But a small moment after his rush, he turned around and leaned back, snagging the sack that he had dropped to the ground behind the girl. "And I brought some too, but fish sounds like it'll go GREAT with it. I can start the fire!"

The workers in the caverns rarely let him around fire for fear of what mischief he could do around it. Or with it. But he knew how to build one. That skill came in handy when he was out for a long time. And besides... Fish. Definitely tasted better cooked.

Casa could not help but laugh when around the sweet but naughty boy. Everything was an adventure! It's why they got along so well. The thought of a rare fish attacking the weyr made her bit her lips thoughtfully. Could that be a thing? Were there big scary fish, and she had just never heard of them? She would have to ask the dragons around the weyr! She bet they would know. They were the ones able to go looking all deep down in the lake. The river wasn't deep enough for big scary fish. Or was it? Her thoughts whirled chaotically, like they often did when she was around her friend. After all, he tended to think up these fantastic ideas that her mind just could not shake.

When she heard about the moat around the herdbeasts, she almost choked on her meatroll, her eyes wide. No wonder he had been covered in mud. "Did any of the wild wherries get them? Did any of them drown? They are kind of dumb as a sack of rocks, I hope they didn't decide to go for a swim!" She recast her net back out into the water that was now that it was settling without Quenym wiggling about and splashing every which way. She would have to take him to the lake next time she convinced her father to take her over that way. "Hey Quenym! Have you ever been on the back of a dragon to the lake? I bet I could get my papa to take us over on dragonback sometime!" She liked boasting about the big blue dragon, and it was much more convenient than trying to walk all five hours. That was no fun at all.

As the net sunk down into the river, she stuffed another meatroll in her mouth, watching Quenym scurry around to get the things for a fire. Normally, she would worry about a fire on her own, but between her and Quenym - and the river to put it out if needed - then they should be fine. Besides, they so often got stifled and told no by the older adults...it would be fun to be responsible by themselves! She bet if they brought back a whole bunch of fish, no one would care that they may have cooked one or two by themselves. It might even impress some of the adults they were that capable. And if they could wow the adults with all of the fish they caught, well then...all the bubbly pies in the world would be there. She relished the idea and turned her eyes back to the net excitedly.

Quenym built up the wood for the fire, gleefully anticipating what the cooked fish would taste like. He actually really enjoyed living by a river, because he liked both the fish and adventure that it provided. Maybe he would build his own raft and go floating down it at some point.

"Naw, I didn't get to finish the moat before I got caught. You know, they were so ungrateful too! I just wanted to keep the herd beasts safe, and all I got for it was a yelling. But they didn't hit me this time, because I was so dirty, so I guess something good came out of it. But I think it would be a good idea to try again, since it would be easier to lure the wherries into it and drown them, and have them for dinner, than building a snare. Maybe." By this time he had a spark building in the tinder, and he could feel the warmth building on his face and chest. It was good, since he was starting to dry off from it. He didn't want to catch sick from staying wet too long.

"And nope, haven't been a-dragonback. Father never claimed me, you know, and and doesn't remember really who he was anyway. I have a bunch of other siblings, half, each and every one of them." It wasn't unusual. Actually, what was unusual was that Casa's dad had taken an interest. "If your dad is fine with it, I'd love to come with you the next time!"

He liked the spunky young girl. She was an adventurer and dreamer, just like he was, though he was the wilder of the two. He stepped over and looked over her shoulder at the river. "Got a bite yet? I could always jump back in and see if I couldn't scare them onto your line if I need to..."

Quenym seemed to get the fire going relatively quickly, and soon the little fire danced merrily. Casa took a moment to line the edges of the fire with heavy rocks she found at the base of the river, drying them off on the pair of trousers she was repairing before carefully setting them down, as to not burn herself. Soon, their cheerful little fire pit was going well enough to cook fish on. She went and rooted around for sharp sticks she could skewer fish on and use to cook over the fire. She found a couple good sturdy sticks for cooking, and more rocks to stack up so the stick didn't burn up while it was cooking their lunch. Hunting around for the materials was fun and creative and she enjoyed it quite a bit.

"Oh, lemme check!" She had been so wrapped up in thinking of how to cook the fish and getting everything ready, she had forgot to check the net. Dragging it up, she saw three small fish wriggling around, trapped. She beamed in delight, taking her small pocket knife and slicing them so they would start to drain. She didn't mind gutting and scaling the little buggers - fish was one of the best parts about living near both a river and a lake! She hummed softly while she worked, running through the spits and placing them over the fire victoriously as she grinned at her friend.

After dunking her hands in the water to rinse them off and recasting the net, she scrambled back to sit beside Quenym and watch the fish roast. "If we do dig up the moat...we'll probably haveta do it at night. Or another time when no one is around. Otherwise I bet we'll get in lots of trouble! But its a good solid idea, trying to drown the wherries for food. I bet they wouldnt punish us if we could find a way to do it without making too much of a mess."

At the comment of never being on dragonback, she laughed. "Oh, its so much fun. I bet Papa would be willing to take you up with us to the lake sometime. You'll haveta come with me when I go to see my dragon friends! Most of the dragons here are very friendly, and some of them even like kids. You'll see, I bet we could even talk one or two of the riders into exploring with us."

Quenym thanked the girl for helping him with the fire. They worked well as a team, and he hoped she wouldn't adverse to helping with more adventures and tricks.

His eyes gleamed as he watched her pull the fish from the net. "They look fantastic! That net does good work! I didn't think you'd get any -  figured they'd be scared off from our ugly, drooling faces. I guess we should never underestimate how we look like giant, tasty worms!" At least, he most likely did, as he stripped off his shirt so it could dry on one of the rocks by the fire. It showed off his most event sunburn from his ever-constant outdoor activities. So far he hadn't been to tan properly, simply burning when out in the sun too long.

"And yeah, I think nighttime moat building will be our best bet. I can't get near the shovels again anytime soon, but if you can snitch 'em, I can plan where to dig. Maybe the others will be willing to help? After the hatching, of course, that's coming up real quick. But four of us is better than two, less chance of getting caught and all that." He wiggled his toes in front of the fire, watching the fish roast, grabbing one of his own meat rolls to snack on in the meanwhile.

Quenym glanced at the girl next to him. "Dragons going exploring? Wen their riders got drills and sweeps? I'll have to see it to believe it, but I definitely wanna come along next time ya go! I wanna see more of them up close and personal before I Impress my Bronze ya know! Better to get an idea of what I'm in for." A grin was spread over his face. "So are you gonna Stand? And for what color?"

Casa wrinkled her nose at the thought of Standing. "I dunno...not for this next one, at least. I always figured if it was meant to happen, it'd happen. Or something. I'm young yet, so if a dragon wants me, it'll find me! I don't miss any of the Hatchings, I'm always there." She grinned, imagining the rowdy 'Brat on a Bronze Dragon. "You'd make a fine rider, you would...but if you aren't careful, I bet you'll get a green! You're a troublemaker, you are." She teased him and laughed, flipping the fish over to cook evenly on the other side.

"And dragons are exploratory! I've seen 'em swimming up at the lake, splashing around and making a general ruckus. Some of them have really funny personalities too...There's this brown, Ironth, he was afraid to eat in front of me 'cuz I'm a girl, and he didn't want to squick me out with the blood. But that didn't scare me one bit, I've been in the weyr my whole life!" Casa found herself slipping back into the shortened, easy form of chatter most brats had, especially when boasting to one another. She had learned how to talk proper and politely, but whenever she was around other weyrbrats like her, she found she always went back to the easy chatter. She didn't mind it one bit.

After another couple of seconds, she took the fish off, handing one of the sticks to Quenym to enjoy. "So like I said, dragons are just as fun as people. There is this one who loves pies, just like us. I'll haveta introduce you to her. I bet she'd like if we brung her some!" Without another word, she got to work on the fish, nibbling around the edges while she waited for her fish to cool down enough to actually eat. This lazy day was turning into the best day ever.

"Aw, you should totally Stand," Quenym insisted. "Ya know, you might think they'll find ya, but they have an easier time of it if your on the Sands. Besides, what else are ya gonna do? Drudge work? Ya live in a Weyr. You should at least give it a shot. If you age out, then that's that, but until then its lots easier work than running around in the caverns cleaning up after the Candidates and Riders." He also grinned when she said he might get a grin. "Aw. If I got a green I wouldn't mind tooooooo much. It's a dragon! And greenies mean I can head off and explore and disappear... I think I like that idea better than having a Bronze where I gotta be all serious and responsible." He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Bet that means you'd go for a gold, then, since you seem to think that I'm not good enough to be a stick in the mud myself. Gonna be some kinda lady and forget all about me!" He sighed dramatically. "Wouldn't even look my way when we crossed in the halls because you'd be too busy with all the Bronzeriders and being all pretty and stuff. Can't even give me the time of day." He played it for all it was worth, lip trembling, eyes watering, cheeks flushing with sadness.

He perked up when she handed over the fish, though, digging into the warm flesh. "Heh, must be nice to have a dad that takes care of you and let's you hang out with the dragons. I wish I had seen that brown!" Quenym said enviously. "They are so amazing! I want one to come and explore with me! I can't wait to Impress one of my own!"he took another bite. "We should totally bring that dragon a few pies! Can't let her down on something like that!" He latched onto the idea, wanting to meet a dragon himself. He hadn't ever really seen one up close or talked to one... Bt he wanted to!

She began to eat the fish in earnest, thinking over what he said. Gold rider...interesting thought. She didn't know if she wanted to change to have to be responsible. Or ignoring her friends, like goldriders seemed to have to do. "Nah," she said with a shrug. "I don't even own a skirt! I wouldn't be all dolled up and pretty, and I certainly wouldn't get rid of my friends. I like them far too much for that. If a Gold wanted me, she'd have to adjust to who I am!" She nodded confidently at this thought, grinning wryly as she saw right through his antics. "You'd make a good rider no matter what color you rode, that's for sure."

"Papa has some time for me...he's really often too busy, though. I was mostly raised by weyrfolk. I've gotten to known him since; see him at least once a month if I can, at least to touch base. I got lucky with him, that's for sure..." She knew many of the brats didn't know at least one half of their parents, and it made her a little sad. But she liked them all well enough that she tried to be a friend to them, and get as close to a family as she could. No one wanted to be by themselves.

"I'll haveta introduce you to my many dragon friends. I bet you get along with ALL of them! They are just as curious and full of personality as we are." She finished up her fish, brushing the last of the crumbles off her tunic and standing up to stretch slowly. As she noticed Quenym finish his food, she put dirt on the fire to put it out and padded over to the net, peeking into it. "Time to see if any more fish decided to be agreeable!" Yanking the net up, she found there was another 3 fish in the nets. She cheered. "Guess they were right! Fish do like to be caught right after a rainstorm."

Quenym smiled at her refusal to think of going for a gold. Truthfully, he was relieved, knowing that it was... Big... To know and be friends with a goldrider. Unless he had a bronze, he wouldn't even really be allowed to look at her sideways. And Casa was too good a friend for that. "Glad ya think I'll be a good rider. Hoping that this coming Hatching I'll make my mark. Impress the best dragon ever! Maybe even a different new color like a purple, make my mark in dragon history!" He joked.

"But... It'd be nice if ya would stand with me on the Sands. It would be nice to have ya there, even if its just to cheer me on when the dragon picks me. And if ya happen to Impress as well, then it would be amazing! I'd love to be there to see that!" The boy enthused. He leaned over to nudge her with his shoulder. "Maybe just this once? Can't hurt, right?"

When he was done and tossed his own stick away, Casa took care of the fire. His shirt was dry, and he put it on and followed her to check on the nets. "Whoop! Dumb fish. They are the best kind, since they don't know they're gonna be our dinner yet!" He crowed joyfully. "I'll take care of them!" He grasped the fish in his hands and took them to shore where she had fixed them before, adding their guts to the small pile of them that the first bunch had made. He looked them over, thinking.

"I think we should take these with us. They're slimy and gross and perfect for wherry bait, don't you thi?" Quenym asked Casa conversationally. "Or maybe we can put them in one of the desks, or maybe even hide them in the storerooms! It'll take forever for someone to find them!" A wild grin lit his face t the thought of all the havoc this pile of offal could do. "But if we're gonna build that moat, better for the birds, isn't it?" He had it firmly in his head that Casa was going to help him hands down no matter what, and was making plans accordingly.

She pursed her lips and thought. "I'll at least be there to cheer you on," she agreed. "I don't know if I'll stand this time around...but I'll be there to see you and Flora and Bordtai will probably be there too. We need to convince him to come hang out more! I know Flora will, though she isn't nearly as much for trouble as you, and me sometimes, I guess." She laughed at the thought of a purple dragon, shaking her head. That would be...odd. But she could definitely seem him riding a dragon. Maybe a brown or bronze? He might do well on any color!

"Well...fish aren't really all that bright anyway...I mean, they just swim and mate and swim and mate." She watched to make sure he didn't cut himself - not that she was too worried, despite his mania Quenym seemed quite capable - and then shuddered at the suggestions he made. "Ewwww. I'm not stuffing them in a desk! Can you imagine if we forgot about it and then we got sent to clean it and it was rotting?" She mock-gagged, sticking her tongue out at him. "Though...I bet wherries would like that..."

She sat there, taking a stick and sketching her ideas about the moat, without realizing she had been completely roped in. "If we put it around the outside of the fence next time...the beasts will still be safe inside the pen, without risk of drowning...and we could put the guts and stuff on or near the actual fence, so they come up to the fence, fall in the moat, and drown!" She nodded, feeling confident about the plan. "I bet this works great and we'll get to eat better all the time. This is gonna be great."

"Need at Stand with us. Make a statement to those Stolen that its an honor to Stand and they should stop being so fussy and upset over it. WE know its great." He nodded emphatically, assured in his assessment of the situation. "Besides, if there's a dragon for you it'll find you easier in the sands."

He laughed at Casa's look when she rejected the option of fish guts in a desk. "Good point, good point! But still it would be good fun for the owner to wonder why it smelled." Quenyms eyes gleamed with mischief. He would pull it later with the Candidate master. She was sure to get a kick out of it.

And then Casa got inspired. He went over and crouched by her as she drew, taking in the plans she was making. "Yeah, that's a great idea! Brilliant! I'll start scouting out the area and figure out the shortest way to get the water there, too. Dae, you're good! I'm glad that I'm making you my right-hand gal! If some dragon doesn't want you, they're cracked! Absolutely cracked!" He patted her shoulder, looking at the ground in excitement.

"And of course, that means that we gotta recruit the others to this, ya know. Think the brats will be up to it?"

Hmm. This was a bigger bit of trouble than the other brats were probably used to. Flora she thought she might be able to convince, but Bordtai...she just didn't know the boy very well. He seemed so quiet and nervous and...and...quiet! She sighed and got back to thinking, her stick rolling around the edge of the dirt as she set it down. Yeah, she should be able to get Flora in on it.

She was still reluctant to stand at this point, but she made a huge promise to be there and support not only him but the other two as well. It was odd - she was social, bubbly, friendly. She was even the oldest of their little group. But she was so reluctant to stand for whatever reason. It just...left weird. But Quenym was so convincing, with his charming smile. Next clutch, she promised to herself, she would stand proudly. He made a good point - being a rider was a great thing, and no one should be ashamed to be offered for the dragons to bond with!

She stood up, satisfied, as Quenym wrapped up the last of the gutting. She tied the offal into a little pouch of scrap fabric she'd brought, wrinkling her nose one more time as she handed it to the troublemaker, and then took the fish fillets to take off to the kitchen. It had been a most successful day, after all.

Not the best post, but I'm all kinds of in pain....Going to lock this and call it a close after so much success! Check your messages, and see if you are agreeable to what I suggested...if you are, then I'll proceed from there with our next post. :)