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Post by Xentus on Aug 28, 2020 13:37:10 GMT -6
Good thing he kept plenty of spare line. The leopard rifled through his tackle box, fishing out a fresh line and took to replacing the spool. His blue eyes glanced over to his backpack, an idea passing through his mind. He could have some radio playing while fishing. Listen to some music or news.. Sounded like a good way to fill in the monotony of fishing a bit. The rod and line were set aside while he brought forth the old style radio. With the click of a switch, it creaked on, blasting the sound of static into the air. A grimace crossed the leopard's face, ears flicking back in response to the noise. And the golems immediately began clacking their shells in alarm, racing toward the boulder where Xentus kept his belongings in pursuit of this auditory assailant.
Through grit teeth, the mammalian was able to find the volume dial and cut the noise down to something more bearable. He hushed the two golems, assuring them that there was nothing to be afraid of. Even though, they looked more ready for a tussle than afraid. Nonetheless, the radio static was quelled and so was their frantic clicking. Now, to find something to listen to..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 28, 2020 13:57:32 GMT -6
Careful claws adjusted the dials, while pointed ears listened carefully for something distinct breaking through the static. He scrubbed through two different orchestral type channels, something that sounded like a religious sermon, and then finally to the news for the day. Which was more like a late afternoon talk show than anything. He caught the tail end of something about a craft guild and a drunk alchemist. A smirk planted itself on his muzzle. Whatever that story was about, it sure seemed.. Different than what he'd expect. Xentus mulled on flicking to another station or not.. But decided to stay with this one one at least for a little while longer.
The disembodied voices were cause of great alarm for the golems. They clattered still, though less frantic than with the static. The leopard wasn't sure how to calm the creatures about this particular dilemma. It was amusing how they were so concerned over a non-existent person. A chuckle escaped him, patting the wind walker on the shell-head. The vibrations from the clicking traveled up his arm. The feeling wasn't uncomfortable, just odd. His touch did seem to calm the creature slightly. It and the fire walker were still very upset over this talk relating to something about a wizard temple.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 28, 2020 14:06:57 GMT -6
The leopard shrugged and let the knee-high golems figure it out on their own. As long as he remained calm, they'd eventually get the hint that there was nothing to be so huffy about. He didn't want to stay distracted by them for much longer in any case, there were fish waiting for him. And a rod that needed a new line.. The golems aimed their shell heads toward the top part of the rock where the radio sat, clicking in distaste of the mysterious voice and the things they said. They didn't quite like the fact that there didn't seem to be any true presence there. Things yes, but voices meant people. And there were no people. A difficult conundrum for the dim-witted creatures. Their master was blissfully ignoring this potential threat as well..
Xentus finished tying up a new line and was ready to set a hook, bait, then cast. He was liking the fuzzy hook which looked like a fly. It was pretty reliable thus far. He did have a few other options to choose from, like the double hook. Or he could opt to go hard on the bait.. But he settled for the fuzzy lure. There was only one left, he figured he might as well use it.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 28, 2020 14:14:26 GMT -6
The leopard looked out over the river, searching for a promising spot.. The blue tinted waters flowed with white foam on the surface where the liquid crashed into underwater rocks and crevices. The dark, deep water by the boulder that jutted from the waterline did offer one of the nicer spots that he'd been casting into. But perhaps someplace new would work just as well. Xentus spotted an area of calmer water and cast his line out to it with a quick flick. The line whined as length was pulled, then stopped once the end plunked into the water. Now, to wait.
The golems were beginning to calm down about this while disembodied voice thing. The clattering continued, though hushed. Alert, but not too alarmed. On guard was the best descriptor. The talk show had moved from recent gossip and rumors to news about the latest contest - a magic show. The leopard turned an ear towards this, interested. He didn't have any creatures in his care that actively knew how to use magic.. But perhaps he could still show off that pesky wiurn, Kyrio. He looked magical enough anyway. It wouldn't hurt to try to enter him, if he decided it was worth his time that is.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 28, 2020 14:25:23 GMT -6
Kyrio was a difficult one to get to agree to anything.. Unless involved some kind of trickery, trade-off, or incentive. The wiurn was particular about how things were presented to him. Even just teaching him his name was a task by itself - he refused so many names.. And even wanted the leopard's own. Still, he had some ideas on how to motivate the being. If Kyrio knew that another, inferior wiurn had been in a contest, there was no doubt he'd get jealous. Xentus smirked to himself at this idea. It just might work. He made a mental note to himself, keeping an ear to the radio and an eye on the water.
Next in the news was something about a recent cave-in at an abandoned mine shaft in the mountains. No injuries or casualties reported, likely cause was structural failure influenced by tunnel worm activity. As much as he liked wandering the mines, the looming possibility of becoming entombed down there was almost off putting.. And such news didn't make exploring the underground any more compelling. Though, he was sure he'd inevitably find himself there again. By now, the clattering by the golems had quieted down completely. The two still seemed wary of whatever was talking on the rock, however..
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Post by Nadia on Aug 28, 2020 15:00:27 GMT -6
That... doesn't quite seem what you're looking for.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 13:27:49 GMT -6
It wasn't until a bite on the line that the golems were distracted from the radio chatter. The whine of the reel cut through the air as the fight between leopard and fish began. With their attention now averted, the two golems focused on the struggle of their master as he reeled and pulled, soft clicking emitting from their hard head-shells in their own weird form of encouragement. The wind golem had its seed-eye turned to the water, tracking the invisible line as it danced on the surface. The fire walker was more interested in its master's movements, bobbing its body in tune with the leopard. Neither were noticed by the preoccupied man though.
"Come on..", Xentus muttered under his breath as he struggled. The fish flopped out from under the cover of the river, flailing in the air in a frantic display of attempted escape. But to no avail. All it accomplished was giving the leopard a better idea of what he was fighting against - a vibrant blue toned fish. A new species! An exciting one, by the looks of it. The man concentrated, steadying his breathing and trying his best to focus on bringing his prize into his clutches.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 13:37:05 GMT -6
The golems were now by his side, their quiet clicking distracting his ears. Even the radio was tuned out at this moment - he didn't want to lose this one. The fish was fighting for its life, but he could feel it growing exhausted as the seconds passed. There was less continual resistance when he reeled, reduced to momentary bursts of struggle when he pulled too hard. At this point, he knew the fight was over. The fish neared the rocky shore where he and his golems stood, limply wiggling through exhaustion. It put up a good fight, but the leopard was no match.
The fish was hauled up out of the water and on to land, where it gave its last few flops in the man's grasp. Xentus marveled at the brilliant blue hue of its scales, finding it strikingly beautiful.. He showed the two curious seeming golems, who gave their clatters of approval. The only thing left was to put the creature out of its misery. The practice of bleeding, gutting, and cleaning repeated. Down by the water's edge, the leopard thanked the fish for giving him its final fight, then cut its gills. Another good catch, but he wasn't done here just yet.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 13:43:12 GMT -6
"This trip is shaping up nicely, yes?", Xentus asked the pair of golems, marveling at his catch once again, "This one learns a lot, and the fish are plentiful. What else might be lurking in those waters, he wonders.."
His gaze was cast out to the flowing river water, scanning the liquid in wonderment. The ecosystem here was quite diverse, it seemed. There wasn't much to go on aside from his various catches, but he was yet to catch a repeated specimen. To him, it was a good sign. There was plenty of life here, hidden away beneath the surface. And this was just from one area of the river! If he wandered up or down stream, he might encounter something different. But, he quite liked his current spot. Rocky and quaint. He wasn't keen on giving it up just to go wander about for a different place to settle in. A short break would probably serve him well though.
"What do the little ones think of relaxing under the sun for a few minutes?", another question for his walker companions. The two of them looked up at their master, slicking their heads in a reply that even he didn't understand. But he took it as a sign of approval.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 13:48:33 GMT -6
The freshly caught fish was stored in the cooler with the rest, then Xentus gathered his lunch tin and thermos. A break for lunch suited him just fine. Ah, but first, he figured he'd get another line cast to sit in the water while he ate. He didn't necessarily need to stand there holding the fishing pole the entire time. Setting it in a firm crevice between a set of stones would do well enough. He would need to keep an eye on the top of the pole in case something bit, but considering there wasn't much else to look at aside from the water anyway, it wouldn't be a problem.
A fresh piece of bait was set on the hook, then he flung out the line to plunk into the water somewhere. He didn't care too much if he wasn't going to be active about fishing something up. A soft plunk confirmed his cast was successful. The golems watched his actions carefully, assessing their surroundings and their master's change of actions. Observant as always, even if they didn't know what to do with this new information. They settled themselves next to the leopard as he sat down and opened his lunch tin.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 13:55:19 GMT -6
On the menu this afternoon was last night's leftover pasta - shrimp tortellini with pesto basil sauce. A perfectly fitting meal for a fishing trip, even if he wasn't exactly shrimping. Seafood was seafood. Despite being at a river instead of at the sea. Hm.. That made him wonder. He took a bite, slowly chewing. Were fish and crustaceans caught from a river or lake still considered seafood..? He generally took seafood as anything that came from underwater, not considering where. His head bounced from side to side in thought. This quandary, oddly enough, stumped him.
His puzzled waves caught the attention of the golems, who again began clicking out of curiosity. What was troubling their master, they couldn't tell. Nothing physical was near to cause this change that they sensed. Was it the disembodied words from the radio? The chatter was now going on about a new mattress store sale that was going on for a summer holiday. A typical ad, not that the golems knew any better. Without anything else being an obvious source of dilemma, the golems took to harassing the rock that the radio was set atop, circling the stone in their best attempt to intimidate the offending words.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 14:01:39 GMT -6
This action by the golems confused him further. Why were they so bothered by the radio? Ah, and was river trout considered 'sea'food? The first question stumped him more than the second, honestly. There was nothing there for them to get so riled up about.. Unless they didn't like that there was nothing there. Which was the likely case, considering how dimwitted the things were. They probably couldn't even recognize that fact. Object permanence was not a skill that every creature had. And the talk from the radio probably made this quite confusing for the little things. But he found their struggle cute and amusing, watching their dance around the rock for a few moments longer. He did still cast the occasional glance to the pole, in case there was a bite on the hook. But so far, there was nothing. He could sit back and enjoy his food for a little while longer. And keep questioning this whole seafood thing.. The conclusion he found himself settling on was that yes, even if a fish came from a river or lake, it was still considered seafood. The term was separated from its literal meaning, which implied food from a sea, and was a catch-all for any aquatic food, native to the sea or otherwise.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 14:06:29 GMT -6
This conclusion did bother him, but there wasn't anything to do about it except go back to accepting it as-is. It wasn't anything he questioned until now, and as much as he enjoyed the mild dilemma, it wasn't all too important at the end of the day. Another bite of pasta, and he was most of the way done with his meal. Lunch seemed to go by entirely too quickly. A short sigh escaped the leopard. Pasta was always so much better the day after it was cooked. So much time to soak in the flavor of the sauce. Ah, but it made him want to scarf it down even faster. The man's bites were tentative, not wanting to end his meal too quickly. He was enjoying his break, the dance of the golems, the radio chatter, the river scene..
This was a venture that he was glad he went on. Fishing wasn't the most entertaining thing in the world, but that burst of thrill when fighting a fish made up for it a lot. Then moments like these, relaxing by the riverside accompanied by two little companions. There was a certain charm that appealed to him about it. Probably to most people, but for one of usually intense wanderlust, sitting still in a single spot for so long was difficult.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 14:12:04 GMT -6
Just as he was finished up lunch, a notching at the tip of the pole alerted him. Ah, another fish! Finally. He wasn't sure if he would've waited this long simply standing there if he didn't break for lunch. How long was it, ten or fifteen minutes or so? Sure, some anglers might be able to sit and wait for half an hour or more. But even he could be impatient. The leopard quickly made his way over to the pole, placing the last few scraps of his meal on the rock with the radio. The golems were again distracted by the leopard and his sudden motion to action, turning their collective attention to their master. He quickly tried to set the hook, and as luck would have it, it seemed like he was successful.
Another fish to fight. He swallowed down the little scraps of pasta and shrimp that lingered in his mouth then started reeling in his catch. Cycles of reeling and struggle by the animal got his heart pumping again. The thrill wasn't something that got old. There was something special about the feeling of reward when successfully catching a fish, it seemed like. He was beginning to understand how people could do this as a hobby.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 31, 2020 14:18:47 GMT -6
He still didn't agree with catch and release practices, but the thrill was fun and something he could see himself pursuing more often. Now that he'd gotten a taste of it, he was sure that he would enjoy coming out here often enough. He'd either eat what he caught or sell it off for some spare change. Then there was always hoping to catch the 'one'. Either a good eat or a pricey catch, his goal was something that would mark him as an accomplished fisherman. A goal that he might not ever reach. But still one that he could pursue. Even after he reached it (if he did), there was still the fun in catching himself things to eat or sell, no matter what they were. He might eventually tire of this, but for now, he enjoyed it.
The golems cheered him on with their quiet clatters, fueled by their master's waves of excitement and determination. They both looked to the water, tracking after the fish that struggled against the pull of the line. They watched as it flopped above the waterline in its desperation for escape, seeing the familiar beautiful blue scales. A repeat catch, it would seem. Not that it was disappointing.
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