Chapter -152: A Reel Good Time
It's the day of the competition at long last. Sarajin was forced to get up earlier than he normally would and that left him feeling rather tired at first, since he spent half the night thinking about today.
He went downstairs with a fishing rod in hand and found his mom was already up in the living room, knitting a scarf out of a light green wool.
She raised her head quietly and was smiling with amazement, "You're up early today, honey."
Sarajin stretched his arms up and yawned, "I've got to be down in Aquamoria early for a fishing competition, mom."
"A fishing competition? How exciting," She said, taking his best interests to heart, "But you're not in so much of a hurry that you'll skip out on breakfast, are you?"
Sarajin was already one foot out the door when she said that, beaming her guilt-ridden gaze against his back. He grinned and then turned around, where his stomach proceeded to hammer the guilt in by gurgling.
"I-I should eat something..." He said awkwardly.
His mom laid the half-made scarf down and then rose to make her way to the kitchen, "I'll make you something special to celebrate your competition. How does chicken on eggs and rice sound dear?"
"Chicken on eggs and rice?!" Sarajin's eyes lit up and he immediately ran and broke into a slide towards the table, ready to eat.
His mom then cooked up a wonderful dish for him, where the egg yolk blended into the rice and amplified the juiciness of the steamed chicken.
Sarajin then ate his meal alone while his mom prepared a separate dish for herself and supposedly, his dad. But he wasn't around at the moment. Not that Sarajin cared, since he didn't care either.
Once his plate was clean he handed it off to his mom and then stood on his toes to give her a kiss goodbye. With a full belly and a racing heart, he scurried across town to depart for Aquamoria.
But right before he hit the edge of town he bumped elbows with a familiar face: His "Uncle" Nimus.
"Whoa there cotton puff!" The two turned to greet each other's gazes, with Nimus wearing his usual carefree smirk, "Where you off to with that big stick of wood?"
Sarajin was slowly stepping backwards to keep his pace going, "I'm going to be facing the leader of Aquamoria in a fishing competition!"
"No kidding?" Nimus pinched the side of his goggles and gestured them up, "Well, good luck! You're gonna need it from I heard!"
"Don't worry!" Sarajin said with a giggle, "I'm just going to try my best and have fun!"
He then turned around all the way and broke into a sprint, "Later, Uncle Nimus!"
"I said-!" Nimus clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and smiled, "Kids..."
Sarajin made it to the edge and prepared to head off. But first things first, he had to deal with his fishing rod.
"I'm lucky I didn't drop it last night coming home..." Sarajin thought about those events vividly, "At the time, putting it between my legs didn't seem like a bad idea..."
But this time he had a better plan. He'd just cocoon the fishing rod in the wind and drag it behind him as he glided down to the surface. Easy enough!
Once the preparations were made and his concentration was focused, he took a dive off the edge and made his way right for Aquamoria.
Detours aside, it seemed like he was right on time for the competition. And boy, this was proving to be quite the event for the people of the Tribe.
It looked like every able bodied citizen of Aquamoria was gathered onto the beach outside the dock. Half of them were cheering Lulu on as she awaited her opponent at the top of the ramp. The other half were looking to the edge of their territory for Sarajin to arrive.
And once he landed that half of the crowd erupted into cries of rejection and disdain. Many of them are outright hostile in telling him "Get out of here Buzzard!"
It was a disheartening start but Sarajin held his head high and weathered the tidal wave of negativity as he pushed between the crowd, getting bumped by a couple of them in an attempt to throw off his game.
His chest felt tight, but he took a deep breath and kept pressing on. The only time his eyes moved away from Lulu being to check the crowd for a certain someone to be here.
"I hope Justek made it..." And he was beginning to worry that he hadn't. Until he got near the front, and saw someone who would easily stick out in any crowd.
It was his weirdly colored shirt that gave it away really. Gawking in excitement, Sarajin rushed through the rest of the crowd and alerted his friend to his presence by shouting, "You made it!"
Justek flinched and then glanced over his shoulder briefly, turning the rest of the way to greet his arrival with a snide comment, "It's about time. I was beginning to suspect you had chosen to give up."
"Nope! I'm here and ready to go!" He proclaimed, clutching his fishing rod warmly in both hands.
Justek had to take a moment to adjust his glasses and squint down at said rod, wondering aloud, "Where...did you get this from?"
Sarajin smiled with pride and looked down at it too, "Like it? It's my own fishing rod! I had it put together with some of Ividae's wood, the string I had back home, and one of Aquamoria's metal cylinders!"
"Hmph, not too shoddy I suppose," Justek replied with something halfway resembling a compliment, "But do you think it'll be enough to bridge the gap in skill between you and her?"
"I don't think it will." Sarajin's sudden honesty took Justek by surprise.
"...Then you've already resigned to the fact that you won't be coming back here after today?"
Sarajin turned towards the docks but his head did not sink, instead it rose like the serenity on his face, "I don't know what'll happen next, Justek. But I'm going to go out there and enjoy myself to the fullest."
Justek's eyes widened, latching onto Sarajin's inability to get down in what should've been the point where he was most discouraged.
Sarajin looked back and proclaimed, "But thanks for being here to cheer me on buddy!"
He then started to head out, leaving Justek to limply raise his fist in the air and say "Yes. Hurrah. Go get them" knowing full well he'd be drowned out by the crowd.
He then crossed his arms against his chest and felt somewhat clouded in his thoughts. He looked at Sarajin heading out there and while half of him wanted to see him fail spectacularly, the other half was captivated by his determination in the face of an inevitable defeat.
"An existence like you defies the rationality of this world," Justek muttered to himself, "And I don't know whether I should be jealous of that, or laugh at it..."
"Why're ya talkin' to yerself, mate?"
Justek's thoughts were stopped by the presence of Brine standing right next to him, making Justek wonder if he was there this whole time.
"Oh, it's you. Tuna trousers." Justek said dismissively.
Brine threw his arms down and shouted, "Y'know what my name is!"
"So?" Justek smirked.
"Hmph, so are ya actually here to cheer Sarajin on?"
"I don't think that's any of your business, really." Justek curtly replied.
"Guess I don't get how Sarajin can tolerate such a prickly urchin like you." Brine snapped back, though his retort was more carefree.
"..." Justek nudged his glasses up and muttered, "That's a question that confounds us both."
As they had that chat, Sarajin walked on up the ramp to meet his opponent. Lulu had her fishing rod set atop her left shoulder. It was made with a chipped white wood and the cylinder holding the line was golden, as was her hook. Tucked into her right pocket was a wooden jar that probably acted as her bait container.
She was ready and confident about it, making her feel much bigger than she actually was compared to him. But Sarajin leaned back and looked her in the eyes like he was standing equal to her, letting his expression stay brave against her intimidating grin.
"So, ye didn't turn tail and run after all," Lulu whispered, leaning down to press her face against his, "So either ya ain't got a whiff of fear in ya, or ye seriously think ya can beat me."
She narrowed her eyes and grinned wider, "So...what is it, boy?"
Sarajin gulped quietly and glared back, telling her calmly, "I'm not afraid of you, just because you're a grown-up."
"Heh...! Then ya better have gotten the most out of these last two days, cause when this be over, yer gonna have to send yer birds down if ya ever want fish again."
"I came to fish, and that's what I'm going to do."
"Yer mistaken boy..." Lulu stood up and pressed her lips shut, "Ya came to lose."
She then turned to the rancorous audience and with one shout of "Alright ya pack of matin' trout, clam it!" she had them all dead silent.
She then took one thunderous step towards them and made her declaration of battle, "We all know why yer here! It's to see me flush this Buzzard out of our Tribe forever! So lets cut the ceremonies and get this started, shall we?!"
The more vocal people of Aquamoria cupped their hands around their mouths and shouted repeatedly in unison "Clip the Buzzard!"
Anyone who didn't shout that sure as heck weren't coming to Sarajin's side. Not even Brine was able to cheer him on, but he did at least give a shrug as some type of apology.
Sarajin took another deep breath to relax himself even while Lulu turned around and continued to try and dissuade him, "The winner's already been decided, so just make sure ya give me a decent enough show to not bore me ta tears."
She then turned to her side and proclaimed to the audience, "The rules are simple!"
She gestured her left elbow out and Sarajin finally noticed that there were two large wooden buckets behind them. Both cleaned out and smoothed.
"Whoever fills up these buckets first wins! We'll be fishin' off the midway point of the dock so anyone who wants to come'n watch better step up as soon as possible! No gettin' in the water though! And if I see anyone shovin' anyone off the side, I'll be givin' them a right smack in the bum later!"
She then turned around and bent down towards her bucket, "Well, what're ya waitin' for?"
She slid her right hand underneath the bucket and hoisted it high into the air like it was a feather, "The competition starts now, boy!"
With her cry reaching out to the whole audience, she began walking along the docks. Sarajin widened his eyes as this was a part of the competition that Brine neglected to bring up.
He looked down at the bucket and estimated it had to be as heavy as he was. It was a mild deterrent to his optimistic start though, as he tossed his fishing rod into the bucket and then bent down, using both arms to lift the bucket up.
Though he stumbled a couple steps back, and managed to get his momentum going forward by kicking up his feet into a sprint.
He then took his time carrying this heavy bucket in Lulu's wake, all the while thinking about what Brine had told him the prior days.
"So if we're going to the middle of the docks, we'll be able to reel in all kinds of fish there," But what got him a little worried was his progress, or lack thereof, "But...I never managed to reel in any medium-sized fish. Will I be able to fill this bucket with only small fish?"
He shook his head and told himself, "I shouldn't think like that! I need to go out there and enjoy myself."
Once Lulu had stopped and put her bucket down a few feet behind her, Sarajin caught up and decided to sit down to the right of her.
He then pulled his rod from the bucket and laid the hook onto his lap. There, he pulled out a wooden jar from his right pocket and opened it up, placing a small, wiggly worm onto the end of the hook.
Opposite him though, Lulu had already cast her line into the sea and put her rod comfortably between her thighs, leaning back with her head resting on the edge of the bucket.
Sarajin was only allowed to take a peek because he had to concentrate on the water. The chill sea breeze felt good this early in the morning, as did the sun's ray cresting the horizon.
It was his first chance to experience fishing in the morning, but this came with a problem.
The sun was beaming straight across the water's surface, preventing him from seeing the shadows of the fish underneath.
All that time spent repeating fish shapes and distinct features overnight was going to go to waste here. But would that mean Lulu was at the same disadvantage?
Well, when her rod started to wiggle around, she showed him just how deep the abyss between them was.
"Eh, just a nibblin' guppy." She said without even opening her eyes. Then, by wiggling the rod between her thighs, she forced the fish off her hook.
A moment afterwards Sarajin felt his rod wiggle in his hands and grabbed onto the reel, winding it back once he confirmed the fish had latched onto the hook.
It gave him a bit of a fight but with the girth of the wood at his side he managed to successfully reel in the first fish. It was a hand-sized silverback fish with red lines over the eyes. Brine had called it a "Redgaze Minnow"
He plucked it off the hook and tossed it into the bucket. Though it was small, it filled the space well enough.
But his pride at being the first to catch a fish wouldn't matter in the face of what Lulu was presently reeling in. With her grip firm on that rod, she yanked her line right out of the water without having to bring it back to the dock.
It was a flatter gray-brown fish that could eat her arm up to the tricep if it could. It had a rectangular face with three eyes spread out like a triangle. This bizarre creature was called a "Zealous Sandfeeder" a fish that lives off of scooping sand into its mouth. Not very good to eat but the goal wasn't to catch the tastiest fish so size was all that mattered to her.
When she pulled the fish out she swung her rod back so it'd land right in the bucket, taking up most of the bottom.
Of course the crowd cheered when she pulled this off, but she didn't have time to thank them back. She sat right back down, hooked another bait onto her line, then threw it out into the water.
Sarajin was mildly impressed, but couldn't really show it since he had to concentrate on the water. Once he cast his line out again there were some mild ripples on the surface near his hook.
Something was moving towards it, and patience paid off as the hook started to bob into the water. Sarajin got a little overeager to reel it in though and ended up pulling up nothing.
Though a little disheartening, he tossed his line back in to try again. A bit more patience was implemented this time, allowing him to reel in another small fish, this time being a basic guppy.
Yet at the same time he did that, Lulu had pulled up another fish of her own. Actually, this was now her third fish from the looks of things. But instead of putting the fish into her basket, she took out her knife and cut its head off.
Sarajin flinched away from that vulgar sight feeling like he'd throw up any second. But when he dared to look back, he found she was using the rest of the fish as bait on her hook.
He had heard about this technique, Brine called it something experts utilized by using smaller fish to catch bigger fish, since obviously a body-sized fish isn't going to be interested in a measly worm.
So now it begged the question, should he take the small fish he had right now to try and reel in a bigger one? Or would that be going above his weight class a little TOO much?
He weighed the risks and decided to just toss his catch into the bucket, and keep trying with the bait he had. He only had so much bait to work with since he felt guilty taking from Brine to begin with.
Lulu probably had pockets full of it though. She was one who didn't come unprepared.
Maybe later he'd be forced to use the smaller fish as bait, but for now he'll just do what he knows he's good at.
Some time passed in peaceful quiet, broken only by the cheers the crowd made when Lulu continued to catch some rather fine-sized fish. Her basket was already halfway full while Sarajin was just barely covering the bottom with all his hand-sized fish.
He did manage to catch one that was half the length of his bicep though, it had yellow eyes and see-through skin. Not very meaty, but it probably had a unique taste to call its own.
He'd like to try it, but probably wouldn't get the chance...
"No!" He told himself, shaking the negative thoughts out of his head, "Just concentrate...All that matters is me, and what's in the sea."
A mantra Brine told him to help him relax...Which from the sounds of things, Lulu had passed onto him in the first place.
A little more time passed and the sun was starting to rise, making it a little easier to see the shadows of the fish in the water.
Sarajin was catching more fish over time, but none of them got any bigger than half the length of his arm. He might have been approaching the halfway point of filling the bucket, but he didn't want to go back to check.
Lulu, meanwhile, her bucket was at the point where the tails of her catches were hanging over the edge. And there was also some slimy, multi-armed creature in there too. How that happened is his guess, everyone else was in an uproar about that one though.
And all the while she was just grinning it up with the ferocity of a wild beast. Though her body language suggested she was having a good time, Sarajin saw differently when he looked into her eyes.
He didn't understand how he could feel this but like, her eyes lacked a spark of joy. They were hollow, like she was just going through the motions at this point.
Yes, when one stands on the top of the world, that's something to be proud of. But if you keep being the best with no one to challenge you, then you've become a slave to your hobby. No longer enjoying it because it's something you like to do, but because you have to be defined by it.
Sarajin couldn't think that way though, all he sensed was the general feeling of emptiness in her eyes. And to him, who found joy in discovering all sorts of new things, it made him feel a sense of pity.
He was staring too long though, for by the time Lulu was ready to cast another line she caught him peeping from out the corner of her eye.
She turned and smirked, breaking her concentration away for what should've been little more than a harmless jab, "Still reelin' in minnows, are ya?"
Sarajin pulled away to concentrate on the sea, just barely missing out on another chance to reel in a fish.
Lulu scoffed and then faced the sea herself, "We've just about wrapped up here, boy. I'm sure ya think ya tried yer best, but in the end..."
Her rod threatened to pull her forward but she gripped it tight and stood tall. Using all her limbs at once, she dragged up a mighty fish from the sea that had to be half as big as she was.
It was a purebred fish with glistening sapphire scales and eyes as purple as a sunset sky. It had three sets of whiskers and sides fins that extended all the way back to its tail. He didn't know what breed it was but that its size put Lulu close to filling her bucket.
She briefly turned his way to finish her sentence with confidence "Ya can't BEAT the best."
The crowd cheered her on, returning to their repelling insults towards Sarajin. Sarajin spent most of his focus on her as she sat back down and prepared to cast her line for what was likely the final time.
Yet as he sent his line out as well, knowing full well the futility of doing so, his heart stirred with a strange mix of emotions.
Sadness? Certainly, but the sadness was being elevated by this feeling of pride and triumph. So while he felt like he was on the verge of shedding a tear, he couldn't stop himself from smiling.
This odd expression caught Lulu's eye, making her remark, "What's with that face boy?"
Sarajin closed his eyes and took a moment to wipe the wandering tear away. He then held his head high and looked out towards the azure horizon.
"I don't regret coming here."
"Eh?" She understandably babbled out in return.
"Even if I never get to experience what it's like here again, I still got to learn how to fish, made my own rod, and learned a lot about how your Tribe functions thanks to Brine. And you know what else?"
He briefly turned aside to say to Lulu, "I got to meet someone who really embodies what Aquamoria is like. Lulu, you're not as bad of a person as I thought you were."
Lulu raised her eyebrows looking positively stunned, only to then scoff, smirk, and tell him bluntly, "Ya ain't sweet talkin' me into a lighter exile, boy. Yer still gettin' the boot when this is all over."
"I-I know that..." Was a light slap of reality he didn't really want to have to take, but it was slowly getting to him as the end approached. Nevertheless, he looked her in the eyes cause he had one last thing to say, coming from his heart.
"But can you promise me one thing?" He continued, not awaiting a response, "Can you try to have fun fishing again, like you did when you were younger?"
Her face immediately clammed up and her glare lingered on him for a short time. Then she scoffed and stared out towards the sea. Her ferocity died out, starting with her eyes, and ending on her lips.
She flinched when her rod began to shake, and almost missing on her chance to haul in her final catch of the morning.
Sarajin meanwhile felt a heftier tug on his line than usual and gripped the rod as best he could. He was being pulled off the dock somewhat but nevertheless focused on giving it his all to reel in what would be the last catch of his entire life.
He reeled and reeled, but the fish kept fighting on. Though at the very end of this competition, he managed to pull the fish to just below the dock and did one last tug to get it to him.
He was a little winded but the fish was in his possession, dangling at the end of his line. It was pretty thin. He could probably put it in his mouth with ease. But it was half as long as his arm and had these heavy, rocky looking scales covering everything but its face.
It was called a "Rock Eel" A heavy one for its size, but if one managed to chip off its scales there's some pretty tasty meat inside.
Nevertheless, it would be surrendered to his basket, right as Lulu put her final catch in hers, patting the top of it down to emphasize her success.
She didn't have to announce her victory, the crowd did it for her. And she presented herself confidently with her usual smirk as she walked on up to her defeated opponent.
Sarajin was hanging over his bucket, looking at all the fish he had caught with pride. There had to have at least been twenty in there, all small, but all ones he had managed to catch on his own. He did this, and that was nothing to be sad about for a beginner like him.
Lulu's shadow hung over him as she leaned down with her hands flat on her hips and remarked, "Alright boy, you know what happens next, ya?"
Sarajin hung his head somewhat. His mouth opened somewhat, ready to mount one last resistance. But his mom hadn't raised a defiant boy.
"...A deals a deal," Sarajin relented with a sigh, but took a moment to look her in the eyes and ask, "So you'll be taking these fish then?"
"I'll get more use out of 'em than you, not that I got much of an appetite for a bunch of guppies these..." She hung her head over the bucket slightly and began to slow down with a tone of interest, "...Days."
The bucket was halfway full. In terms of size of course none of his catches even compared to her smallest ones...Save for one. That Rock Eel he caught at the end was a medium-sized fish, a marked improvement over the guppy reeling boy he was a couple days ago.
And in terms of number, he had probably caught the same amount of fish she had.
Lulu clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and slanted her brows as she took a brief glance aside at Sarajin, who was looking at his fishing rod and sighing.
He then extended it out to her and said, "You'll probably want me to return this too."
Lulu stood and gave a rough shrug of her shoulders, "Eh, ya made it didn't ya?"
Then she used her knee to shove it into his chest while whispering, "Keep it."
Sarajin embraced the rod against him in both arms and smiled, "Thank you!"
She then put her hand onto his back with one rough gesture and told him, "C'mon. Let's go."
Sarajin tried to hold his head high but it was a little harder knowing that all he'd see before him is a crowd of naysayers. They were so happy to see him defeated it was no wonder their happiness wasn't carrying them off the ground.
He tried to just focus on the expressions of Brine and Justek, his friends. Brine was gritting his teeth, probably nervous about how his teacher would be judging his teaching.
Justek meanwhile had his arms against his chest and was giving off a shrug that was basically amounting to "I told you so."
But right before they got to the very front of the crowd, Lulu let go of her hand from his back and crossed both arms firmly under her chest.
Sarajin, looking up at her in surprise, watched as her mouth spread wide and she screamed from the top of her lungs, "ALRIGHT YA CACKLIN' DOLPHINS, CLAM UP!"
And clam up they did. Their expressions, once teeming with vitriol, now sank into an abyss of confusion and pause.
But no one's surprise was greater than Sarajin's at that moment, as he watched Lulu face this tidal wave of a crowd and tell them all off with the authority only a leader like her could project.
"Now, I ain't sayin' we change our ways and start letting Buzzards all flock to our shores..." She closed her eyes and grit her teeth, planting a hand firmly on Sarajin's shoulder, "But this boy ain't some Buzzard. He came to our shores and learned how to fish with his bare hands."
Her eyes flared open and she pronounced with great aplomb, "He's just as much a fisherman of Aquamoria as the rest of ya sorry lot! And if ye got a problem with me sayin' that, then yer more than welcome to challenge my rule!"
She then put one step forward and emphasized her point by glaring down each and every man and woman gathered on the docks, "But so long as I breathe this salty sea air, this boy'll be allowed to come and fish as he pleases!"
Sarajin's face went frazzled while Justek's glasses nearly slid off his face. Both of them shouted "What?!" in unison without knowing so but Sarajin was the one who took action afterwards, frantically shaking his head and pleading to Lulu, "W-What are you saying? I lost! Why are you changing your mind all of a sudden?!"
"Heh heh...!" Lulu starting off by chuckling really threw him for a loop, not helped by her then saying, "'Tis was my deal to begin with, so I can break if I want! One of the perks of being a dumb grown-up, I'd say."
She ended that off with a subtle wink and nudge, then faced the face-frozen crowd.
"Now, are ya gonna stand there gawking like fileted trout..." She pumped her fist into the air and proclaimed, "Or are we gonna enjoy some fishin'?!"
Whether they agreed or disagreed with her verdict, nothing could rally them to do what they do best quite like a prompt from her confident voice.
Most of them left to return to the shore and pick up their fishing poles to start the day proper. The only ones who really stuck around to deal with the aftermath were Brine and Justek.
Brine slowly walked up to the two and commented, "Good on ya, mate! Yer gonna get to stick around after all."
Sarajin was so overwhelmed with emotion that the best he could do was nervously rub the back of his head and remark, "T-Thanks...?"
Brine then craned his head back and ruffled his nose with pride, "Course, ya had a good teacher and all to show ya the ropes!"
Brine's hairs stood up on end as Lulu glared at him, making no effort to hide her nasty smile, "Ya still got a loooong way to go, boyo."
"W-What? Teacher, I think I did a fine 'nuff job!" Brine mounted in his defense, only for Lulu to breach it with one hard step forward, planting her face down close to his.
And as Brine shivered in fear she told him off, "And fine ain't good 'nuff! If ya want to be reelin' in that Golden Reefquiem before me, then you need to get improvin'!"
She then lifted herself partway and thrust her finger towards the end of the dock, "Now! Git yer rod and git back out here! We're gonna be trainin' ya til the sun's down!"
"Y-Yes, teacher!" Brine pulled away and was off like the wind, "See you later, Sarajin!"
"Haaaa..." Lulu sighed, planting her hands on her hips and pitying him with a good ol' shake of the head, "He ain't ever gonna land a lady actin' like a skipper."
She cocked her head over her shoulder towards Sarajin and remarked, "Say, yer welcome to join us whenever ya want. You probably could stand to learn a thing or two from watchin', at the least."
"Really? Are you sure?" Sarajin said, still fighting off his confusion over how this all went down.
"Like I said, yer a fisherman of Aquamoria. So, it's up to ya to decide what to do with that freedom." Lulu then walked past him and went to go pick up the two buckets, carrying one on each arm.
"It's up to me, huh...?" Sarajin was enamored with the idea.
Lulu then passed him by again and took one last look over her shoulder to say, "Well, catch ya later, chum!"
Sarajin weakly waved her off and then, as Justek wobbled over to his side, remarked, "...I'm confused."
"For once..." Justek nudged his glasses back into place, "We're of the same mindset."
He then crossed his arms and stared down at Sarajin, "I don't get you."
Sarajin looked back and uttered "Huh?" before he continued, "Is there something special about your upbringing?"
"U-Uh...no?" Sarajin rubbed the back of his head, "I'm a normal person."
"Something has to explain what you are..." Justek mumbled under his breath.
"What did you say?" Sarajin replied.
"Forget it..." Justek shook his hand out beside his face, "Defying all manner of logic, you've managed to earn the right to visit Aquamoria whenever you please. So..."
Justek looked with an admittedly antsy glance his way, "What shall you do next?"
Sarajin stared blankly up towards the sky with his mouth partway agape. Then, with an awkward smile, he hung his head and chuckled, "I-I think I'm going to go home."
Justek's eyes widened bigger than his lens.
"S-Sorry you had to come out here just for this, buddy."
Justek nudged his glasses back up with his pinky and mumbled, "Hmph, it's hardly the bother you're making it out to be."
Sarajin opened one eye and in his innocent way of doing things explained himself, "I'm just tired and confused. Plus, I want to tell my mom the good news!"
Justek tossed his hands up beside his shoulders and shrugged, "Do what you must, I suppose we can save the exploration for another day."
"Thanks for understanding! I'll see you later, alright?" Sarajin then made the preparation for him to go home, taking off into the sky with a hefty gust of wind.
Justek stood his ground, holding his hair down on one hand while craning his head back. He couldn't take his eyes off Sarajin, not until he was far off into the horizon, a dot in comparison to the massive flying city in the distance.
"Hmmm..." He smirked without realizing it.
"Why do I feel...different around you, Sarajin Stratos?" He whispered to himself, "It's like I'm being drawn in to your mysterious presence, tempted to unravel what makes you tick."
He closed his eyes and turned away for the end of the docks, "But I don't think I'll ever get the answers I crave until I see you truly face adversity."
He put his hands in his pockets and with a sinister gleam in his eyes he remarked, "Your luck will run out eventually, and you'll be forced to confront how this world really works..."
When Sarajin returned home he put his fishing rod under his arm and made his way back to his house. He was whistling cheerfully all the while.
As he made it back to the village proper, he heard the screech of a couple birds flying close by overhead. They seemed to have come back with some objects under their talons. Wet stuff too, judging from the droplets dripping onto his face.
He followed them for a while as he made his way through the village, until they stopped in front of a house with a family of four inside.
The father of the household was awaiting the two birds and what they had to deliver. In their talons were two nice, fresh...fish...
Sarajin's stride began to slow to a crawl as he saw the man take the fish out of their talons and into a woven basket, using his free hand to pet the heads of his birds.
"Thank you for picking these up again for us," The birds screeched happily for their praise, and the man happily turned and hauled the fish into the house, "Kids! It's gonna be a fish dinner tonight!"
Sarajin's stare went completely blank, the cheers of the children in the house unsettling him to a large extent.
His mouth steadily went agape, devoid of any voice...
Next Time: The World Begins to Unravel