The Coast of Almund
5th of Ymiden, 720
5th of Ymiden, 720
“It’s just a fishing trip. I swear. That’s a totally normal thing for families to do.”
Morgana eyed Tio suspiciously. “You never do anything normal. What’s your angle here?”
Tio rolled his eyes, an exasperated but fond smile on his face. Morgana was a smart girl and was definitely going to do great things when she was older, but she really needed to learn to not be so suspicious. He did things normally. Like… Like… Okay maybe he couldn’t think of any examples off the top of his head, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything.
To be fair to her it had been somewhat unexpected when he’d announced out of nowhere that he was taking her on a fishing trip this morning. They’d walked for a while out of Almund, which could now only be seen faintly in the distance, until they reached this spot on a cliff overlooking the ocean, which Tio assured was the best place for fishing. The last sun was setting on the horizon, allowing the first brushes of night to paint the sky.
"So what, it's normal to start fishing at night now is it?" Morgana sarcastically quipped as they took a seat on the edge of the cliff, feet dangling off the side. Tio only answered with a patient smile, and rummaged through his domain bag for a while until he pulled a pair of fishing rods out.
It was as the last glimpse of the sun vanished that something began to stir in the water below. A faint prick of light began to flicker around and dance beneath the surface of the ocean, like a spark twirling behind a pane of glass. There was only the one at first, but as the sky grew darker a second one joined it. Then came another, and another, until soon the surface was alight with the strange wisps of light.
“What is this?” Morgana breathed, captivated by the sight. Without even thinking about it she began to shuffle closer forwards to the edge of the cliff, her eyes transfixed by the sight before her. “They’re beautiful…”
“Morgana!”
Tio’s shout, punctuated by the hand that shot out to grab her, caused her to jolt in fright, and it was only then that she noticed just how close she was getting to falling off the edge of the cliff. Immediately she shot back and scrambled back to her feet. “Wha-... What was that?”
“Don’t be alarmed. It’s just the fish.” Tio assured. “They’re called Siren Lights. They possess a weak hypnotic quality that they use to draw prey into the water. On their own they aren’t much, but in groups they can be pretty deadly to the unprepared.”
“You didn’t think to warn me about that beforehand?”
“Well they are rather pretty to look at. I thought you’d like to see them once, and as long as I’m here there isn’t any risk to you.”
Morgana glared at him for a second. “Right. And I suppose these are the fish you want us to catch right? Of course they are! You couldn’t just catch a few mackerel could you? You had to go for the hypnotic death fish.”
Tio gave her a warm laugh. “Ah, they’re not so bad. I’ve caught a few before. As long as you don’t look at them they really aren’t much different from regular fish. Close your eyes and trust in your sense of touch, and you shouldn’t have too much trouble catching at least one.”
He screwed his eyes shut and demonstrated; casting his line out blindly into the ocean. He waited silently for a while, concentrating on the pull of the ocean against his rod and waited for a sharp tug. It wasn’t long before something strong suddenly pulled at the string. “Now! Help me reel it in!”
Morgana grabbed hold of his waist and pulled him away from the cliff and Tio fought to reel his catch in, keeping his eyes shut the whole time. Siren Lights were fairly sizable creatures and possessed a great deal of strength, but water provided less friction for them to grip on the ground beneath Tio’s feet. Inch by inch Tio hauled the Siren Light closer and closer until, with a violent splash, it was yanked out of the water completely.
Sensing the change in resistance Tio gave one last grunt of exertion and swung the rod backwards, flicking the Siren Light up over his head and onto dry land. The sound of something flopping and flailing against dry land caught his ears, but Tio didn’t dare open his eyes until it had gone completely still. Before them the Siren Light lay on the ground, the enchanting luminescence fading from its skin.
"Alright that’s one. Your turn Morgana.”
The moon rode high in the sky as the pair trudged back to Almund. Between them they’d caught four Siren Lights before the others had wised up and fled, though both were knackered from the exertion of reeling the powerful creatures in.
“Well, fishing sucks.” Morgana began idly, deliberately keeping her eyes fixed forwards. “But… it was nice to try it out at least once. Thanks.”
Tio shot her a cheshire grin. “Aww. Is that your way of saying you enjoy my company?”
“Don’t make me stab you.”
A bark of laughter escaped Tio’s lips. “Heh. Fair enough.”
They walked on in silence for a moment, until Morgana piped up again. “I never want to see a fish again. Especially not a hypnotic death fish.” When she noticed Tio suddenly put a lot of effort into keeping a straight face her eyes narrowed at him. “What? What aren’t you telling me?”
“All in good time Morgana. All in good time.”
