Chapter -154: Dreams of the Sea
A couple hours following their declaration of teamwork, the briny blue two of Sarajin and Brine have been sitting square on the docks trying to get Sarajin up to snuff with the basics of fishing.
Sarajin's been manning Brine's fishing rod while Brine sits off to the side, directing him on how to properly tug the line to disorient the fish or the best way to reel them in.
Sarajin managed to catch a couple more of those guppies, but nothing greater than that. And they are thrown back into the sea, never to be eaten by humans.
The sun has begun to set, turning the seas a mellow shade of orange. And with that, the fish started to leave for deeper waters, which caught Sarajin's attention with worry.
"Huh? Where are they going?" He asked, standing up to extend how long he could see their shadows in the water.
"They got their fill of shoreline grub I'd imagine," Brine explained, happily watching the hunters of the sea return home with full bellies. He then looked back and saw Sarajin's expression, "Don't be worryin' about it much, mate. We'll keep fishing in a bit, just got to wait for night's fall."
Sarajin's head sank and Brine popped his eyes wide open in surprise, "Or is that not what's botherin' ya?"
Sarajin grinned and rubbed the back of his head, "So far I've only been able to catch the same type of fish."
Brine nodded a few times but had a cheerful remark to bring to the conversation, "But you've been able to keep reelin' 'em in consistently."
"Heh! Well, that'll help if I have to catch more guppies than her." Sarajin half-heartedly jokes.
"Ah, I catch what you're casting there, mate," Brine nodded some more, then started fiddling his fingers atop his elbows, "Teacher didn't say what type of competition you'll be having'. Knowin' her it could be any of the three categories."
"What are the three categories?" Sarajin asked, briefly tilting his head.
"Well you weren't far off on one of them when ya mentioned havin' to catch more fish than her. Usually you just have to focus on one size of fish though."
"So far we've only been going after guppies though." Sarajin said, a little confused.
Brine raised his head and then turned around, pointing at the sunset horizon, "But if ya go further out along the docks, you'll be able to reel in bigger fish. Not to say there aren't any small ones out there, just not as many in number."
"I'm not strong enough to reel in the bigger fishes though," Sarajin remarked, "So what do I do if she decides to have us fish those up?"
"...That's a good question, mate," Brine's tone turned a little dour but he spun right around and shook his hands up, "B-But don't linger on it too much, a'right? Teacher's very competitive, but even she wants a decent challenge sometimes. She'll probably go for the average-sized fish, at most."
Sarajin breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "What about the other two?"
"Pretty simple actually. There's a competition where two fishermen are allowed to reel up one fish from one of the weight categories, and whoever gets the biggest one wins."
"Then the last one has fishermen setting their sights on one type of fish, and whoever pulls up the right one first wins."
The latter made Sarajin wince a little and hesitate to ask, "A-And how many kinds of fish are there in the sea?"
"Dunno mate, probably hundreds of 'em. I only know about half of 'em off the top of my head," Brine's prideful expression turned into immediate regret as he saw Sarajin's face sink some more, "Oh that's...probably not what you wanted to hear right now, aye chum?"
"I thought it'd be exciting to learn of all the different types of fish in Aquamoria, but now, I feel exhausted thinking about it." He leaned his head back to look towards the sea, and sighed.
After a few seconds of silent contemplation as the waves swayed gently beneath him, he was awoken by the sound of Brine shouting, "Yer lookin' like a dead fish mate."
He blinked a few times and then found the strength to smile, "It's so beautiful. And to think, I could have never gotten to see it."
Brine crossed his arms and remarked in a half-joking tone, "Where'd this deep talk come from all of a sudden?"
Sarajin flinched and inadvertently made his smile wider, as he then turned and nervously rubbed the back of his head, "I-I'm sorry, that just slipped out."
"No fish skin off my back, mate. But f'real, I've never seen anyone stare at our shores like they want to kiss it before."
Then some blush was added to Sarajin's cheeks and he grinned, "Was...was it that bad?"
"Bad? Nah, mate! I'm glad you like it here!" Brine cheered him on with a smile.
Sarajin then raised his head and proclaimed, "I do like it here! I like it a lot! Everyone's happy, and fishing's so much fun!"
"I..." Sarajin's smile quickly wavered again and he looked out towards the sea, "I just got here. I don't want to leave forever."
"Yeah, I bet ya can't enjoy yourself when you're focusin' too hard on a competition." Brine nodded in agreement, though he didn't understand just how he was feeling.
Their deep talk was interrupted by a smell in the air coming from the village. It was a burnt smell with a little smokiness inside, and that's because at the edge of the marketplace a large fire had been lit and many citizens were flocking to it.
"Oy shoot, where'd the time go?! It's dinner hour!" Brine then waved at Sarajin as he ran past him, "C'mon, chum! We'll pick up where we left off after we fill our bellies!"
The two run off the docks and make their way for the market. The shops were boarded up this time of day and the sun had set enough to make the sky more purple than orange.
After the last two hours had been kind of stressful Sarajin could excite himself at the prospect of finally getting to eat a fish.
But as they were about to blend into the crowd, Sarajin was stunned stiff by the sudden appearance of one massive black looking eye that was as big as his head. Said eye attached to a slimy gray fish at least three times as long as he was tall.
And yet Lulu was carrying it over her shoulder like it was a small plank of wood, elevating it just enough that none of it touched down on the sand.
She took one look at Sarajin and immediately scoffed, "And jus' where do ya think yer goin'?"
With Sarajin unable to really process any emotion beyond awe at her big fish, Brine stepped up and told her, "We're getting a bite to eat, teacher!"
"Go right ahead, Brine," Lulu remarked with a weak gesture of her occupied hand, only to turn right into a quick and blunt tone, "But that invader ain't comin' with."
"But you said-!"
"I said he can train until the competition, not that he'd be allowed to participate in other stuff." Lulu reaffirmed her stance by glaring at Sarajin while speaking to Brine.
Sarajin looked back, and could feel something swelling in his heart. Her glare bore such disdain, and made him feel uncomfortable. And in his discomfort, his hands began to curl inward.
"Teacher-!" Brine tried once more to appeal.
"Ya want to carry this fish on yer own, boy?" But Lulu got the last word in, destroying Brine so completely all he could do was turn and frown, and weakly wave his hand up to Sarajin.
Lulu then slapped her free hand onto his back and carried him, and her giant fish, into the crowd.
Sarajin was left there, alone, as lines of strangers kept walking past him. When she was gone the swelling in his chest died down, only for him to let out a gasp of air, like he had been suffocated prior.
He then stared down at his hands and found he was clutching his fingers inward. He unfurled them slowly, his mouth and eyes agape, and a little blush appearing in his cheeks.
It wasn't long after that the people of Aquamoria were mostly gathered in this one area to have a meal. There were a lot of loud noises coming from the center of the crowd, and even with all the taller adults acting as obstacles, Sarajin could make out the back of Lulu's giant fish being held up high.
Curious, Sarajin felt a little mischief inside of him and glanced up atop the roofs of the market. He then took a couple steps back to get a running start, then used a small burst of wind to propel himself on top of the roof.
After regaining his balance he looked on ahead and saw Lulu hoisting the giant fist over a fire taller than her. To the hungry crowd she proclaimed, "Come for a feast have ya?!"
With a big smile on her face she threw the crowd into cheers as she flung the massive fish into the air and then quickly reached back to pull a sharp, ivory knife out of her containment pocket.
Thrusting it up towards the sky, her arms suddenly turned into a blur and the fish was frozen in place. Sarajin's eyes widened but no matter how hard he pushed his eyes he couldn't see what was happening.
Just that once he blinked, the fish finished falling to the ground, diced up into hand-sized chunks.
Lulu was now soaked in the fish's juices but rubbed it into her hair, happily pointing her knife into the sky and shouting, "Well...DIG IN!"
One by one the crowd scrambled to pick up pieces of fish and then drag them to the fire, where they were cooked to a nice, juicy orange.
Sarajin's expression slowly went from neutral to being awed...and confused. He was enjoying how much fun Lulu was bringing to her people and she had this wonderful, happy smile...But when he was in the picture, she was just like any other adult.
"Why am I a problem?" Was the topic stuck in his head as he slowly peeled away from the rooftop, and returned to the beach.
Only for his stomach to growl, enough to cause him pain. He laid a hand on his stomach and looked over his shoulder.
The temptation was there for him to just fly over the crowd while they're busy enjoying themselves, and snag a piece of fish. His mouth salivated at the thought.
But he winced his eyes shut and punished himself out loud, "No...! I can't do that!"
Even as his stomach continued to growl, he resisted the urge to listen to the voice deep inside of him. That horrible, nasty voice, telling him to be something he's not.
He still had one hope of satiating his hunger, and it laid out on the docks. Fortunately, he still had Brine's fishing rod in his hands.
So he walked out to the docks once more, this time going at it all alone. But he didn't stop where he was fishing before. He ventured just a few yards out, until he could see the shadows of the fish swimming under the surface.
He then lit up with joy and plopped himself down on the wood. His hands were shaking a little, probably from the hunger, but he didn't forget how to cast his line into the sea.
He dipped his feet off the edge and sat there waiting patiently for one of the fish to come and bite.
A few minutes passed, then a few more. His stomach continued to make gurgling sounds, but he knew he had to just be patient.
The fish were wiggling towards the hook but none of them seemed interested in grabbing onto it. He tried wiggling the line like Brine suggested to get their attention, and though a couple inched closer, none of them bit on.
Thus time passed and his stomach continued to complain. He was feeling a little light-headed, but it would all be worth it once he had a fish in his hands to eat.
But he must've been really hungry cause he was starting to smell that cooked fish scent in the air, and it was making him drool.
It wasn't a hallucination though, as he also heard Brine speak out to him with laughter, "You ain't gonna catch a bite this far out with an empty hook, chum!"
He turned and saw Brine walking up to him, two nice pieces of cooked fish resting atop planks of wood. Sarajin's eyes lit up and he clawed out at the fish, almost having to snap back before the fishing rod fell off the docks.
Brine laughed some more as he sat down and passed one of the fish over to him, "Reel it in and relax a bit, mate."
Sarajin reeled in the line and then sat the rod down at his side, accepting the wood plank on his lap as the replacement.
He wanted to dive right in but first had to look at Brine in a guilty feeling sort of way. Brine glanced his way and said, "Don't worry about it! Nobody'll know but you and me!"
Sarajin smiled and then bowed his head in thanks, too weak to say anything. He then reached down and touched the fried skin. It stung a bit, but not enough to prevent him to pinch a bite off.
Immediately plunging the juicy meat into his mouth, Sarajin's tongue was engulfed by a tidal wave of flavor he's never felt before. It was combing over every taste bud with succulent juiciness and a hint of sweetness.
He gulped it down with one hearty sound and then immediately had to take another bite, and another, and another.
It got to a point where Sarajin was stuffing food into his mouth when he wasn't done chewing, and Brine wasn't even halfway into his piece when he had to stop and let out a laugh.
"Now that's the look of a man who ain't had a fish before!"
Sarajin finished the whole fish off and then jerked his head back to gasp in awe, "That was delicious!"
"I knew you'd be satisfied! I just knew it!" Brine proclaimed proudly.
Sarajin threw his head down and didn't notice at first how much juice was around his mouth. When it began to drop down though, he used his sleeve to wipe some of it, blushing all the while.
He then turned to Brine, having finally registered the comment he made moments ago, "So you believed me when I said I didn't steal any fish?"
"Eh, I may have had my doubts, but after that look on yer face? Nah, there's no way."
Sarajin hung his head a little and murmured, "Then why doesn't your teacher believe me?"
"Well..." Brine did sound a little nervous moving forward, "It's not like she's talkin' crazy."
"Huh?" Sarajin perked up to listen closely.
"Birds've been a pest to us for a while. They love to just swoop down and grab fish out of the water, or on the docks, heck, some are brave 'nuff to take 'em from the stands."
"But that doesn't mean the people of Arc Hurricanos are stealing them..." Sarajin murmured, "I promise Brine, I've never seen a single fish before today."
"I don't need yer word to believe ya, Sarajin," Brine smiled and looked his way, "But the birds all fly back towards yer floating village, don't they?"
"I-I guess so?" Sarajin closed his eyes partway and murmured, "That's still not MY fault though...So why is your teacher so mad at me?"
"Well," Brine shrugged his shoulders a little, "If I had to cast my line into the water to try 'n reel in an answer, I'd say it's 'cause she's the leader of Aquamoria. She may put a lot of focus into fishing, but she also cares about the little guppies like me."
Sarajin looked towards the sea and sighed, "After you went to go eat, I snuck onto the rooftops and saw your teacher cut up the fish."
His smile widened without him noticing as he continued on, "And everyone was enjoying themselves because of how happy and cool she was. But when she's around me she becomes..."
"Tight? Scary? Hostile?" Brine listed off in rapid succession, surprising Sarajin.
Brine then put his hands behind his head and grinned, "I look up to teacher a lot, mate...So I know her best and worst parts. And I ain't afraid to speak my mind about her."
"I guess I just don't understand how she can be one kind of person around others, and then another kind of person around me."
"Eh, that's too complicated for me, mate..." Brine said with a shrug, "Could just be 'cause of how serious she takes fishin'."
"It seems like grown-ups take everything seriously." Sarajin said with a sigh.
"Ha! She's always been like that, s'far as I can tell," Brine turned his head towards him and remarked, "Remember when I said she was the youngest to win a competition? Well not long after that apparently, she beat the former leader of Aquamoria and took over his job."
"So you think becoming the leader is what changed her?"
"Yer bitin' up the wrong fishing pole, mate. I know nothin' about what she was like as a kid, 'sides what the adults tell me." And Brine was probably the most worthy of saying that.
"Huh." Sarajin hummed.
"I'm surprised how much yer thinkin' about her, mate," Brine gave a wink and chuckled, "Love at first sight or somethin'?"
Sarajin continued to stare down, raising his hands up before his face and remembering what he felt like when they were clenched.
"...Hey, Brine?"
"What's up, chum?"
"Has someone ever made you feel...hot inside of your chest?"
"U-Uhhh, mebbe?"
"Like, your body starts feeling tight all over, and you find yourself staring at the person who makes you feel this way?"
"I mean, that's just normal for men like us, mate," Brine eased back in place and half-heartedly chuckled, "Y-You know, I was just ribbin' ya mate, but are ya...are ya seriously developin' these kinda feelings for my teacher?"
"I don't know what I'm feeling towards her, Brine. But when she kept me from going with you to eat, it's like...My mind was telling me to do something to her in retaliation."
"W-What?!" Brine sputtered out.
Sarajin raised his head, projecting an aloof air around him as he looked Brine in the eyes and asked, "Do you know what I'm saying?"
Brine's eyes were blank and he was gawking up a storm for a while. His immediate response felt like it was coming from another conversation entirely though, "H-Holy mackerel, Sarajin...I know I got a lot of respect for my teacher, but yer feelings are on an entire 'nother level."
He crossed his arms and murmured, "I'd never try 'n approach a woman that way though, 'specially not her. If I tried to make a move on teacher like that, she'd pick me up like I was a towel and wring me out to dry over the docks!"
Sarajin tilted his head and whispered, "...Uhhh, Brine?"
Brine snapped his hands out and proclaimed, "Sorry, mate! Was off on my own little world there for a moment!"
He then settled his hands down on his lap and remarked, "I guess I do feel that way for someone, but..."
He began rubbing the back of his head, "Ah ya know what, it's silly. Forget I said anythin', mate."
"I think he's misunderstood me..." Sarajin was a little disheartened by that, but now that this conversation was going in this direction he did find himself a little intrigued by how secretive the normally open Brine was being.
"No tell me! I want to know what you're thinking." Though he might've been a little pushy to get the answer out of him.
Brine bit his lower lip and hissed, then craned his head back to look up at the sky. Somewhere along the way, enough time had passed that the moon was floating up there, casting its bright blue light down onto the sea. The water now had this mystical luminescence to it, reminding Sarajin of the moss in Tanglefae.
However, he was staring more at the moon itself than its effects on the world.
"Wow..."
Brine looked back down long enough to reply to that, "Ain't it pretty?"
"Why is it blue now though?" Sarajin innocently remarked.
"Blue...now? Mate, it's always been blue." Brine had a hearty laugh but as Sarajin's response would show, this wasn't some bit of child-like wonder for once.
"No? The moon is white."
"Did the fish not sit well in your gut? The moon's blue."
"Brine, I'm not lying, the moon is white."
Brine waved his hands up in the air and remarked, "I didn't say yer lyin' mate, just that uhhh...Your sense of color might be a tad off."
Sarajin raised his brows and scoffed, "No way!"
"Just sayin', white ain't that far off from blue."
"Yes they are!"
Brine shook his hands in the air frantically and proclaimed, "T-That ain't important right now! If the moon's up and full, then...!"
He stood up and then clenched his fists against his chest, using a tense grin to portray a sense of nervousness as he asks Sarajin, "Do you mind followin' me to the end of the docks for a moment?
"Ok!" Sarajin stood up, making sure to pick up Brine's fishing rod before they sprinted down the docks.
It was a long way to go, and the water just kept getting deeper and deeper with no floor visible after a while. Finally, after minutes of running had exhausted Sarajin, they arrived at the end of the docks. Though it was widest here, any misstep would plunge either of them into an uncertain end.
There was no fish to be spotted, no sand to be seen. Just the surface of the water reflecting the light of the strange blue moon.
Brine dared the risk of falling to teeter on the edge of the docks, a hand held over his eyes as he glanced around all over the place.
Sarajin stayed a few steps behind and asked, "What are you looking for?"
"I know it'll sound crazy, chum, but just keep lookin' out to sea and you'll understand what I'm talkin' about!"
Sarajin went along with the idea because Brine's excitement was just that infectious. He stared as far as his peepers could let him. There was still a lot of sea out there, WAY more than could be counted.
The glistening surface made it a little difficult to see what was happening, if anything at all. But Sarajin chose to believe in Brine, and kept his eyes wide open.
His efforts led to him noticing something peculiar in the distance. A figure with shoulder-length, leaf green hair was walking out atop the sea. The water rippled, but did not collapse under their feet. And the moon shone off their fair white skin, soon making it impossible to see them.
Sarajin couldn't make them out all the details clearly, but they were a woman. And they wore a one-piece swimsuit, with a ruffled skirt that only covered the back of their thighs and waist, the colors blending in with the shiny sea waters.
"There she is!" Brine proclaimed like a boy half his age, "Ya see her right? Right?!"
He begged and pleaded but Sarajin had no reason to deceive. He took the brunt of Brine's excitement and then responded with, "Y-Yeah! I see her!"
Brine pulled away with the biggest grin ever, "None of the others believed me when I told them she's real!"
Sarajin breathed a sigh of relief and then stared out at the mysterious lady. She carried this delicate air around her, like a stiff breeze could carry her away without a care. But she stood tall beneath the light of the moon, and had the confidence to reach up like she could snatch it out of the sky any moment.
She wasn't like anything else he had seen so far, least of all in Aquamoria.
"Who is she?" He was compelled to ask.
"I don't know..." Brine said, lulled into a mesmerized state of mind by the lady's presence, "But she's the most beautiful sight I've ever laid my eyes upon."
Sarajin had to keep watching the lady now. It seemed like she was just going to pretend to be a statue on the water's surface.
Then, her other arm was thrust out beside her, and Sarajin briefly felt a sting in his chest.
She raised her leg and bent it so her foot was at the knee. Then she began to twirl in place, slowly building up speed until every half a second her body was facing towards them. Her eyes were closed, yet she was confident in her body's every move.
She arched her head back with all her might and then leaped forward, leaving a bright trail of water in her wake, and her landing sent a pulse of bright blue light out from her toes.
She then twirled some more, and then hopped to her right, lighting up the sea some more. The light pulsed to a rhythm separate from hers, blinking in and out a second after the first she left behind.
She continued to twirl and leap, landing at six spots around where she started from, and eventually returning to that location.
And when she did, she slowly arched her head back, managing to keep her balance on the tip of one set of toes. She stretched her arm up above her chest towards the moon, and dipped her hair into the water, with her other fingertips following suit.
She was frozen, a moment in time captured forever in the hearts of her viewers.
Then, without making a sound, she clutched her hand around the center of the moon, and all the lights she left behind pulsed brighter and louder than ever before.
As the surface bubbled, one by one the water burst from the sea as towering pillars of glistening radiance. Each droplet, capturing the full light of the moon inside as they returned to the sea.
And then, with one quick and decisive motion, the lady pulled her fingertips and hair from the sea and spun around and around. Trails of water spun around her body from her hair and hand, enveloping her in a slowly growing spiral that carried her higher and higher into the sky.
And when she was at its peak, the bottom of the spiral was further out than the edge of the geysers she left in her wake.
Then, she let go, leaning back as far as she could, before springing into the air with a flip, and pointing herself downward.
She dove through the spiral, causing it to disperse to the wind, and then splashed down into the water.
Sarajin's racing heart skipped a beat, and this feeling of discomfort only grew until the lady's body breached the surface, whipping her glistening, soaked hair back as she arched back, dripping from head to toe.
"Whew..." Sarajin sighed in relief.
By the time he raised his head though, the lady was back to staring at the moon, her hands behind her.
He couldn't stop staring. Not now, not ever. What he just witnessed was a once in a lifetime experience, and he didn't want to forget it by turning away.
But he had to remember he wasn't alone. Brine was beside him, his expression melting completely into bliss and his normally energetic demeanor being a thing of the past.
Sarajin looked his way and waited a moment to see if he would do anything. He did eventually put his hands behind his head and remark, "She's the kinda person that makes yer heart feel warm, don't it?"
"..." Sarajin looked out towards the lady and the more he stared at her, the more mysterious she was to him. The way she could command the water was on a whole other level from how he used his own element. Elegant and full of poise, she had crafted art as she danced.
Her mastery over the element seemed comparable to a Titan's, except there was something...different about the way she felt. Unknown, and almost...otherworldly.
"I've been comin' out here and seein' her on the sea for a few years now," Brine whispered, "And her dancin' never fails to take my breath away."
"She's like...a pearl you can only find once. I just want to hold her close to me, and tell her how beautiful she is until I'm old and gray."
Sarajin blinked a few times and then tilted his head, "Then...why don't you?"
Brine flinched and stared blankly at Sarajin as he continued to speak, "She's out there...You've never gone and talked to her before?"
"I-I couldn't just go out and do that, mate!" Brine rapidly swung his hands around in the air, "N-Not that I don't want to but..."
He turned his gaze aside and grit his teeth, "I..."
He dialed his voice down until it was hardly worthy to be called a whisper, "I-I'm scared of the water, mate."
Sarajin heard him clearly though, and his expression sold his surprise enough for Brine to chuckle at himself.
"Yep, a budding master fisherman, afraid of the sea, ain't that the laugh of the village?" Brine rubbed the back of his head.
"It started when I was an eager guppy, clingin' to his mum's hip. Her 'n I were out fishin' for our mornin' meal when she caught a pretty massive bite from the deep end."
"As she was reelin' it back in though, the line suddenly snapped, and the fish leapt out of the water at us both. I, being too young to know better, though I could catch the fish by grabbing hold of it. But the beast was a nasty one and with a whip of its tail it smacked me right into the water."
"I flailed around, taking water in my lungs as I gasped for air. I...don't remember much after that, 'cept that my mum was screamin', and every second I was being dragged further out to the sea."
"I woke up to the sight of my future teacher pulling the water out of my chest. She had saved my life, apparently..."
Brine closed his eyes and sighed, "But ever since then I've been too scared to lay a foot in the sea."
He then turned towards the sea and crossed his arms against his chest, "...Y'asked me earlier what I'd do if I caught the Golden Reefquiem? I honestly didn't give it much thought in the moment but if I had to wish for anything..."
He grinned with determination and proclaimed, "I'd want to wish for the courage to follow my dreams, no matter how scary the seas may be!"
"...The courage to follow your dreams?" Hearing that reminded Sarajin of his conversation with Nimus, and how he too had to become brave in order to come down here.
"If I had courage, I could step upon the water without a care in the world! I could tell the glistening dancer how I truly feel! I could sail the vast seas of our world, fearin' neither fish nor sea heathen!"
"Ya can't see it from here Sarajin, but far, far over the horizon there lies a pitch red barrier called the Parched Blood Reef. Our Titan created it to separate us from the sea heathens that terrorize the waters beyond..." Brine thrust his pointer finger out over the horizon, "But if I were a braver man I wouldn't care what barriers stood in my way! I'd fish where no man has fished before!"
Sarajin lifted Brine's fishing rod before his chest and stared over it.
"He's got a dream, just like me..." He was starting to feel a heaviness in his chest that made him wonder, "Should I really risk hurting his dream for the sake of my own?"
But by looking at the fishing rod, and in turn the entirety of the docks, he was able to quickly come up with an idea.
He raised his head up sharply enough that it caught Brine's attention, just in time for Sarajin to hand his rod out towards him.
"Huh?" Brine murmured.
"Here, you can have this back."
Brine did so but raised his brows the whole exchange, "Sure but...why?"
"You need that to someday fish up the Golden Reefquiem, right? I don't want to risk breaking it." Sarajin said with a smile.
Brine gestured his hand and chuckled, "I mean I'm fine takin' the risk, mate. You need a rod to train with."
"So I should get one for myself then!" Sarajin's declaration almost sent Brine recoiling off the edge of the docks.
"A-Are you crazy?! Ya don't have enough time to get the necessary currency for a rod!"
"Don't worry, I got an idea!" Sarajin said that without any wavering in his smile and then turned aside, "Will you meet me out here on the docks tomorrow in the afternoon?"
"S-Sure, but what are you plannin' exactly, mate?"
"I'll show you tomorrow!" Sarajin then sat down and took his makeshift shoes off, tying them back under his poncho and leaping back up with a couple hops to prepare himself.
"A-Alright then...So yer headin' back for the night?"
"Yeah! Thanks again for all your help so far, Brine! I swear, in two days time, I'll get your teacher to like me!" He then rocketed off into the air with a burst of wind, which left Brine briefly frazzled.
Before preparing to glide back home, Sarajin closed his eyes and gave a reluctant chuckle, "I just hope I won't be asking too much of them..."
He then made his way home, brainstorming ideas on how to tackle the next day...
Next Time: The Border Between Us