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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 18:13:37 GMT -6
The Ssashirk stands on the muddy bank of The River Below with her fishing pole whenever she finally does manage to get the hook in the water (thankfully, without incident). She certainly had done so without any finesse, and the moment the bait hit the water it made a loud plop. Badrani squints for a moment, considering. Was that two plops she heard? Did the bait fall off of the hook? She'd heard that it could do that; and of course it made sense. Still, it was too dark to look into the murky water at the hook (that obviously sank quite well as soon as it hit the water- should she have traded for a bobber?) and she was quite 'done' with that already. She finds a good rock nearby to settle down on, crossing one of her knees as she did so. Shahrazad moves closer to the water, looking down at her own reflection.
[15]
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 20:36:39 GMT -6
Badrani's natural inclinations strayed far from trying to console or confront any sort of possible emotional issues, so when she glanced over at Shahrazad (away from the water, where the end of her line entered the river and hadn't really moved since- she doubted she'd catch anything) she kept her own face very passive and then glanced back out at the line again. There were no ripples where the line met the water, and though the river water moved to some degree, it simply wasn't rushing at all. She wondered if maybe she would be able to see some ripples if something did bite her line- or if maybe she would have the strength to practice her own swimming in the river. It had not looked all that hard when the young draconic had entered the water; though she had a very slight assumption that the young draconic was a natural and that Badrani herself probably wouldn't be as good in the first few paddles.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 20:43:22 GMT -6
Shahrazad continued to stare into the water, most likely at her own reflection (Badrani's guess felt like it was an educated one even though the angle was not the best for the purpose) and after a little bit of quite a bit of boredom (Badrani had figured that this would be an exciting trip- she hadn't really noticed that there was a bit of waiting talked about in the book she had read about fishing as an activity) and a tad of anxiety about the situation, Badrani finally sighs. "So, the minnows. You feel bad for them?" She asks, perhaps not with the best inflection in her voice for common but she was trying. Shahrazad looks up at her with the closest thing that any draconic had probably ever had to a furrowed brow.
"No." She says, in reply- her voice a tad dejected anyway.
Lying, already? Badrani continues to hold on to the fishing pole but turns completely towards her otherwise.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 20:51:41 GMT -6
"You are." Badrani says, gravel-ly voice speaking matter of factly. She waits, expecting Shahrazad to say something to explain or to speak out the issue with her. Time passes slowly as she mostly pays attention to the young draconic below the moonlight and not at the water where her inexperienced hook lay in wait, probably bare of the bait that she had worked to procure from the surroundings (making the entire situation fairly pointless in the first place). Time passes like cold surghum syrup (something she'd only had in a trade and once- it was quite illustrious to get to try a trade good from as far away as surghum was located), which Badrani knew was apparently quite slow, before Shahrazad finally squeaks out- "I know, I'm a predator, I eat meat."
Badrani nods. "You just ate fish earlier, you know. I traded for it." She nods.
Shahrazad produces a noncommittal noise, and all is silent again.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 20:57:09 GMT -6
Time passes slowly, and after a little while, the matter seems to have been dropped. The pair were now quite at ease, with Shahrazad soon moving off and chasing minnows through the other beach (never quite catching them, but delighting in their silvery sides as they glinted in and out of the muck and silt that her feet kick up in the water as she chases them) and Badrani delighting in the pure nothingness that was going on. It was nice, not having to do something at all hours of the day. She'd never really get used to it, she didn't think. Her first couple of weeks hiding out in the house in the City were very nerve-wracking for her, and even now (as secluded as they are!) she still kept her eye out for danger. She couldn't even imagine being completely safe. She was always waiting for the other spear to drop.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 21:03:16 GMT -6
Badrani never really could completely relax. There was always a tiny chance that any Ssashirk she met could recognize her from her bleached scales (common in her clan, though her clan was NOT commonly known about over all) and she was most certainly being hunted. Now that she had something to lose, it was more scary than concerning, as it had been before. She tried not to dwell on it, and most of the time she was able to keep an eye out as any denizen of the Sands would do; but not quite worry herself to the point of severe anxiety over it. For some reason, she was getting a little bit of a bad feeling about this, but she was unable to really place where it was coming from. Perhaps it was the canyon itself. Draconics lived here because it was generally a dangerous enough place and very secluded that they would be safe.
Shahrazad would feel safe, but Badrani didn't necessarily.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 21:12:57 GMT -6
Badrani knew, if any other Ssashirk came here, it would most likely be a bonding situation. Most of the draconics were not completely fond of humanoids (for good reason, from what little she had been able to glean so far- when she had been carrying Shahrazad's... Egg? With her) and something about Shahrazad's existence made Badrani a 'valued' member of the community. It was an odd thing that Shahrazad felt very foreign to- it wasn't something she was culturally used to in the slightest. She guessed it was a little like being adopted, or being apprenticed out. That was an interesting way to think about it. An apprentice in her later life, yet again. She tilts her head, staring out at the water ahead of her finally. Just then, she hears a great splash; and immediately she jumps up without even thinking- head on a swivel for the direction of the noise.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 21:22:53 GMT -6
It turned out that the noise was simply Shahrazad having fallen into the dark muddy water, and within seconds of her head disappearing below the water she moved back up, coughing a tad (she must have been excited, to have swallowed a bit of water on the way in and such) as she resurfaced and crawled out onto the sand. She coughs out the rest of the water (it was not serious, Badrani made sure of that) Badrani returned with Shahrazad on their heels over to where she had abandoned the fishing pole onto the sands. In the meantime, nothing seemed to have bothered the pole- and the dark Ssashirk wasn't sure if she was disappointed about that or relieved about it.
"Fishing is a little... Boring." She says, after making sure that Shahrazad was alright. "But that doesn't mean you have to find excuses to... Breathe the water." She murmurs to the youngster.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 21:28:48 GMT -6
Shahrazad keeps close to Badrani's heels, but she glances back over her shoulder again and again at something that worries Badrani. She glances back, trying to follow the young Draconic's gaze but she just cannot make anything out. The water seemed quite serene, at least to the old lady's eyes, but she wasn't entirely convinced at this herself. She did have a very feeling about all of this, after all. "Huh, nothing bit..." She murmurs. "What happened to you?" She finally asks. Today had been a real exercise in emotional exhaustion- and a real exercise in the physical sense as well. Badrani was already pretty tired.
Shahrazad shakes her head, even as Badrani begins to reel in the hook to recast it. "I don't know? It feels like I was... Pulled down?" She says. "Like something grabbed my foot?" She had already been checking out her foot, and hadn't seen any bites nor felt any pain.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 21:32:43 GMT -6
"Pulled down, da?" Badrani says, her voice a little shaken because she's starting to get a little chilly. It wasn't nearly as cold as a desert night but it sure wasn't what she'd prefer. She was beginning to rethink the entire endeavor altogether at this point. She hums beneath her breath as she reels in the hook until she can see it; and of course it is barren. She hadn't gotten the bait tied on very well at all, so of course nothing had bitten. She was going to have to learn how to do this eventually. "Book said there are... Big fish. As big as someone like me? You might want to be careful." She was worried about the young draconic, but she wasn't as fearful as a soft skin would be over their own babies. After all, Badrani was used to difficulties- and Shahrazad was a draconic. They seemed to be much hardier folk than the average individual. "Stay near me." She said though, belying her protectiveness.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 21:37:58 GMT -6
Shahrazad seemed to agree with the assessment and be quite thankful of Badrani's offer of protection- even though in all practicality Shahrazad probably equaled Badrani in most of the arenas of power and health (even in her young age- and perhaps especially because of Badrani's elder age) and Badrani's added personage would not be much of a help if something large enough to attack the youngster showed up. Neither one of them spoke of this, though they were both certainly thinking about it. Shahrazad processes another of the unfortunate minnows, and then puts it on the hook carefully this time, sure to double it up so that hopefully the barb would keep it on a little better this time. "It probably wasn't anything." The young draconic verbally reasoned, her voice not very sure. "If it had been big enough to ah, eat me? It would have done it I think." She sounded so worried!
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 21:50:02 GMT -6
Badrani hums. She doesn't see a point in lying to the youngster, but also doesn't see a point to giving into her fears, either. "I don't think we'll stay out here much longer." As far as Badrani was concerned so far; Night Fishing was for the BIRDS (to borrow a common phrasing). It was difficult to see, cold, and of course Shahrazad might not be old enough for it at this point. Badrani hadn't really thought a lot about this before suggesting it, and now she was a little bit on the concerned size. There was a fairly decent chance that they might have issues re-scaling the cliff, too. At least Badrani's eyesight was good. "How is your vision this time of night?" Badrani asks. They'd already been out about an hour, so it was still technically 'shortly' after sunset, normally speaking. Still, it was very dark out, in the canyon at least.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 22:02:53 GMT -6
Shahrazad looks a little embarrassed, staring up at the moon wistfully. "Not as good as yours seems to be." She admitted. "I saw you threading the bait on earlier, and I couldn't see the hook." Badrani turns around, curiously, and looks at her as she gets the fishing pole ready to do the next flick and get the hook and hopefully the bait this time into the water properly. Badrani hums in acknowledgement and then carefully flicks the hook into the water. It wasn't near pro-fisherman level, but it was something at least. Badrani generally took to things that she tried quite well, but that still didn't mean that she was like Shahrazad and was practically born doing everything near perfectly.
"You aren't missing much." Badrani says, her voice exhaled with a bit of chilly lace. Yes, it was certainly beginning to get cold outside. She found herself back to the still-warm rock and sat back down again.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 22:06:45 GMT -6
Badrani tried not to be like a whelp, whining about how bored she was, but she really was not enjoying herself at this point. She held the fishing pole in one hand and used the other to pick at one of her loose scales with a claw (she was coming onto a molt soon, but this one really needed to go- and now if she could manage it). Shahrazad wasn't even acting out as badly as Badrani found herself to be. Perhaps with old age, one began to circle back around to being a bit like a kid again. It really was a bizarre thing to think about. Ssashirk didn't generally get 'old'- but it wasn't out of some sort of biological limitation (not that she would have worded it that way!) but out of warlike tendencies. She was 'lucky' in that respect, but it certainly did not feel like luck in the slightest to her.
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Post by Badrani on Nov 7, 2021 22:09:52 GMT -6
Badrani could not at all imagine getting as old as Soft-skins tended to. Some of them could live to well over a hundred! The eldest elder she had ever met had been around that age- but he was still a rough and tumble warrior (at least in spirit). He mostly sat in the tents and recanted tales and smoked and drank tea as he could procure it. He was a great trader, and one that Badrani had spoken to whenever her clan went to re-supply along the Red Wall. She never wanted to get to that age. Now, she couldn't stop thinking about it, with the youngster by her side. Shahrazad was so endlessly patient, it was very difficult to believe.
The hook sits in the water, deep down- probably dragging the bottom. Badrani gets an idea as she thinks about how fish move. Perhaps she should make the hook move?
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