[Catch-All] When in Doubt, Fish!

[sisterlyshield]

Who: Kisara, You
Where: Aldrip, Bodies of Water outside of Aldrip?
What: Just a casual catch-all for the month. Fishing! Geodes! More?
Warnings: Probably not? Probably not.


I. Tʜᴀᴛ ᴛʀᴏᴘʜʏ ɪs ᴍɪɴᴇ!

[Kisara hardly needs an excuse to go fishing. Even had there not been a tournament, she would be fishing with a great deal of gusto. The idea of being able to provide for others continues to be a worthy motivator. Kisara has always been best when she's taking care of others. To claim that it's fully altruistic, however, would also not necessarily be true. It's as much for her as it is for anyone else. Gives her time to think. Gives her time to piece things together. Gives her time to find an outlet for thoughts and feelings she otherwise would be holding protectively to herself.

But for now, between catching food for others and getting her hands on that rather modest sculpture, she has her most capable hands full. Although she's made some submissions here and there of fish she's caught, she's also paid visit to others taking part in the tournament, some of them just to watch, some of them with the interest to help them make some progress. It seems just like her to help those who might otherwise be considered competition. She understands, after all, that she might have an unfair advantage. Kisara appreciates a level playing field. There's no honour in it otherwise.

So maybe she's helping you out. Maybe she's the one with her line yet again in the water. Either way, Kisara's ready to make some quieter conversation. Can't go disturbing the fish overmuch, after all.]

How're you enjoying it so far? You have everything you need?

II. Wʜᴀᴛ's ɪɴ ᴀ ʀᴏᴄᴋ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴍᴇʟʟ... ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʀᴏᴄᴋ.

I'm not saying I want to give up fishing for working with rocks, but this is pretty cool.

[Kisara is a painstakingly careful woman, especially when it comes to something that requires a little more finesse. She'll be the first to admit that she isn't really elegant or graceful. Working with a small little hammer in an attempt to break open a rock without completely shattering it is a work of art in a way. If anything, she's probably been focusing a little too hard on this geode business.

With her little rock-hammer in hand, the furrow in her brow is deep. Tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth, she's tapping along the rock with care in an effort to break it open and get to the lustrous colour at its centre. What she'd like to do is give it to someone here, though maybe she can find a way to keep one for herself as well. Maybe someone will let her do a trade, because she has to admit that she's not eager to go spending money.

...She never really is.]

I feel like this is taking forever, though. I'm afraid I might grip it too hard and undo all of my hard work. Think you can help me out? Just a little tap.

[Just a little tap!]

III. Tʜᴇ ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ ᴏᴘᴛɪᴏɴ

[This is for everything else. If you would like something in particular, let me know! I'm happy to write a personalised starter for interested parties. You can contact me on Discord (in the server), via PM, or over on ofthesky.]

Comments

[sincleavers]

That's true. You never know what could really happen until you try...and that goes for accidents like that, too.

[He can't help but think of the Blazing Sword, when it comes to that. If they had never been ambushed in Calaglia...it's possible they might have discovered the Blazing Sword later, in some other equally accidental moment. But it certainly wouldn't have been available to them when they most needed it to defeat Balseph. Who knows? If not for that one accidental moment, the Gates of Fire might still be standing.

Somehow, thinking about that makes him feel nostalgic. All said, he misses their days of traveling more than he's said out loud. For now, though, he examines the round rock in his hands, taking her suggestion to heart.]

Let's find out. Here goes nothing--

[Thunk! This one less gentle than the last, but it does the trick. The rock falls open roughly in two halves, though an entire chunk from one has come off as well, making three pieces total.]

[sisterlyshield]

[She can imagine a little what he might be getting at with that. Accidents aren't necessarily a bad thing. A lot can be discovered out of them. She's certainly seen enough of them in the recent times and she isn't sure she can consider then good or bad just yet. So far, they feel... not great.

But maybe they just need time. It sure feels like a lot of things need time.

Instead of weighing in, however, she lights up when he manages to crack the rock in half. Well, three pieces. The interior is an array of blues and purples. Beautiful to behold. Doesn't look like the kind of thing one would find inside of a rock. In a way, rocks are like people.]

Wow, look at that.

[With a grin, she looks over to him, gesturing to one of the pieces.]

You should keep one. You helped me get to it, after all.

[sincleavers]

[Much of Alphen's life has been defined by accidents -- at least, the parts of his life he can remember. Even if it feels like being in the wrong place at the wrong time, sometimes...somehow, it ends up turning out to be the right thing. It's a little incredible, honestly.

His face lights up with a grin as the rock comes apart. So much of his time in Calaglia was defined by them, and yet, he hardly knows the first thing about them. That metaphor hits a little closer to home...though, maybe not exactly in a way he likes, at the moment, when they're all surrounded by so many unknowns and unknowables. In any case, he tries to concentrate more on here and now, giving Kisara a bit of a surprised look.]

Really? I didn't do anything special, but...thanks, Kisara. [He picks up one of the pieces, thoughtfully turning it over in his hand. It's amazing, isn't it?]

It almost looks like the night sky, doesn't it? I never would have thought something like this was hidden inside that.

[sisterlyshield]

I mean, you helped me. Isn't that special enough?

[He's her friend. He'd stopped her from making what could have been, would have been a terrible mistake, even if she doesn't quite always agree with that. He's here in this world with her and the others. Little by little, she's trying to move forward, unsure of how to do so, but in a position of so much certainty, Alphen feels a bit like a rock himself. Steadfast and secure. If he can be so stable, then she has to try to be the same way.

Admiring the interior, Kisara's smile is undeniably fond.]

That's a good comparison. I guess it's sometimes so easy to get caught up in what's going on around us that we can miss out on that night sky. Maybe we'll both think of it every time we get a look. It's probably a little on the nose to say that even the simplest packages can have something beautiful. There's a life lesson here, maybe.

[sincleavers]

I guess I can't argue that. [... Or rather, he knows better than to argue that.

There's something really poetic about the idea that something so special can be hidden inside of something ordinary. It reminds him a little bit of their group -- on the surface, they all look like ordinary folk (aside, perhaps, from his mask). But with some care and a little bit of a push, their true potential really starts to shine through...

The same can be said of a lot of people and things, really, but it still feels kind of special. Makes the memento feel special, to.]

I know what you mean. In a way, it makes me think of Dahna. We've all been caught up in finding the lords and gathering the master cores...it's too easy to rush ahead, instead of taking a little bit of time to really appreciate all of our surroundings. Sometimes we need to slow down a bit and enjoy what we're doing.

[sisterlyshield]

I think it can be hard to slow down. Especially for you and the others. You’ve been kind of nonstop since your journey began. Of everyone, Alphen, those words might be most applied to you and Shionne. Zephyr, too.

[Because it seems that even before Alphen got into all of this, Zephyr was likely already hard at work.]

When one gets caught up in the routine of life, it can be hard to break that routine. I see it in you a lot. You often have to keep busy. As if you have a hard time just sitting down and taking a breath for yourself. I guess I’m… not that different either.

[Especially since her arrival.]

We could all probably benefit from reminders to do that. I’ll try not to push myself too hard. You should do the same thing. I could say that to Shionne, but I don’t think she’ll hear it from me, so make sure you remind her, too.

[sincleavers]

[Oof. If he's being honest, Alphen knows that's true about himself, even if he isn't sure whether to classify it as good or bad. But hearing it pointed out so precisely...well, it hits home, a bit, coming from her.]

I think most of us know what that's like. We're used to it...not getting a break. Being on the move, pushing forward without stopping.

[Thoughtfully, he turns the geode piece over in his hand. Kisara is right, of course; they could all do with a break. A real break. A chance to let their minds rest as well as their bodies. Maybe that's another lesson from these rocks. Sometimes you have to do something hard to make a change.]

It can be hard to do things like that. To change. Maybe it's good that this place is sort of...forcing us to do that.

[His smile turns a little lopsided at the mention of Shionne.]

... Shionne will hear what she wants, when she wants it, and no earlier. I'll remind her, too, but I'm not sure I'll get through to her any more than you would.

[sisterlyshield]

[It isn’t an easy thing to hear or to agree with. Kisara knows that with her observations, she can, at times, be a bit pointed, even when she’s trying to be gentle about it. Sometimes there’s just no way around it. But even though she’s chosen to say it to him, it’s something that applies to her and everyone else in their group. That’s the kind of life they’ve been forced to live. They’ve had to fight for survival. There’s no down-time when something like that winds up a constant in their lives. In a way, coming to this place has given them something they’ve all desperately needed.

A breath of fresh air. Just for a moment to piece themselves together, even if they don’t know what to do with that free time. It seems Alphen’s inclined to agree with that as well.

When he speaks of Shionne, her head tilts with some consideration. It’s an equally valid observation of her. She struggles with sharing her feelings that linger beyond an immediate hostility. She may not always be that way and Kisara has suspected that there is something more there, but it’s not right to pry or push.

Maybe if she knew her better…]

She’d take it from you better. You’ve known her longer, after all. Even so, I think her just having the reminder is good enough. She doesn’t need to be pushed. None of us do. Sometimes the reminder sure can be nice, though. Sometimes it’s all we need.

[sincleavers]

I guess that's true. We've been through a lot.

[For just a second, his expression seems almost fond -- the kind of face you make when you're recalling a happy memory. It's true that all of them have been through plenty, even in the time they've known each other...but with Shionne, it seems different. It's hard to say why. Maybe because they both changed so much in just the little time they were traveling together...after all, when they first met, he didn't even have a face or a name. Iron Mask feels like a completely different person, these days.

Whatever the reason, the fondness evaporates from his expression, leaving behind his familiar friendliness.]

Alright. I'll do my best. Even if she's not ready to listen, she needs to hear it just as much as the rest of it. [Thoughtfully, he lifts the geode piece to look at it, letting light bounce off of the smooth facets.] Maybe we all need something like this. To remind us of that.

[sisterlyshield]

[With a quiet observation, Kisara takes him in. She can only guess what he's thinking about, but she can hazard a guess. Kisara has only heard some here and there about what took place before they all came to Viscint. Although she supposes since their arrival, she's considerably more in the know. As much as she can be, all things considered, that is. There is no doubt that she has likely had it significantly easier than the rest of them and that may not be saying much, all things considered.

Either way, even knowing what she's heard, she can't truly know what they've experienced.

Her attention turns onto the geode that he lifts and she smiles.]

I think you're right. We could all benefit from it. We might seem like we don't, but looks can be deceiving. A brave face is great, but we're more than what we're wearing on the outside, after all.

[sincleavers]

"Looks can be deceiving..."

[He repeats the words thoughtfully, a quiet smile on his face. That really hits all the points, doesn't it? And it seems like an awfully appropriate lesson coming from the geodes -- something that looks ordinary, even kind of dull, on the outside, hiding something beautiful within. He can't help thinking about all of them, too. Dahnans and their hidden strength. Their Renan friends and the compassion and kindness they've shown.]

There's no doubt about that. In fact, I think all of us are proof of it. [His eyes move to her with a slight nod. This includes her, too -- it's been a little while, but he hasn't forgotten the tension between Kisara and the rest of the group when they first met.]

I have a feeling it's a good metaphor for this place, too. And if that's the case, we're going to have to keep chipping away at it to see what it looks like on the inside.

[sisterlyshield]

[His gaze, the way it moves onto her, is evident. She knows what he’s getting at. In a way, things haven’t exactly been smoothed over. They haven’t really had the opportunity to do so. Or perhaps it’s the idea that Kisara hasn’t given anyone the opportunity. She’s been keen to keep herself busy and when it’s come to subjects she either isn’t ready for or isn’t willing to address, she’s simply sidestepped it.

It’s not the best way to handle a situation, but for her ability to take good care of others, evidently self care is not something she’s particularly adept at.]

I agree. An apt comparison. I don’t doubt that there’s a good deal more happening here than any of us are aware of just yet. What that might be is difficult to say. It’s unnerving not to know, but having you and the others here, makes it not as daunting. I’m thankful for all of you.