Private Goin' Fishing

[Mahsain Roshan]

The waves rocked against the wooden hull of the small stern-boat that Mahsain had taken a bit from the main vessel to enjoy a bit of fishing while they were anchored looking for salvage. The divers still had a while yet to go. There were very few things that she could do while waiting. Her foot hung over the edge rocking back and forth lightly through the water while the line stretched out in front of her. She hadn't had much luck so far, when it came to actually catching fish. Yet that was part of the experience, just the leisurely relaxation that was fishing.

The rod she held loosely in her hand as she relaxed drooped a little as the warm sun lulled her into a doze. The breeze rustled at her hair and tugged at her clothing like a playful child wanting attention. Suddenly, the rod tugged in her hand. Lightly at first, but then more insistent as what had ever caught on the other end of the line realized that it was trapped.

Sitting up, Mahsain pulled on the line, wrapping it around the spool as she went. One laborious tug at a time until the end was just there. Leaning over the side of the ship, she reached a hand into the water thinking she was grabbing for a fish. Instead a handful of seaweed comes up from the ocean. Mahsain gives a tsk from between her teeth as she tossed the plant onto the floor of the little boat. At least the stuff could be dried for a nice snack or perhaps to be put into something else. She reached down grabbing another bit of bait and threading it onto the hook before she loosened her line and tossed it back out again to see if she could be a bit more lucky next time.​

 

[Jens]

The trail of debris from the wreck had scattered the party to all directions, their shapes barely visible in the thick water. The seafloor wasn’t sand here in the cove, but mud, to which one could sink upto one’s knees if he dared. All the hassling, rummaging, searching and other motion of diving had stirred the water, made it almost opaque where in the shade of the ship they’d set to work. He didn’t have much of a taste for it and hadn’t since they’d begun, as such—

A distraction was all the more catching his attention, floating there at the edge of vision whenever he turned his head to glance around. Line and hook sunk down, sparkling in the waterlogged sun as they went, deeper. Fish flitted about curiously, watching the trail of bubbles, though none were biting. And not for lack of technique, naturally.

Bailing on his task, he paddled and kicked away from the billowing, swampy water, stare trained on the baited hook. It swayed in the current, just waiting. All asmirk by himself and what swam and crawled amongst the seaweed, he tugged on the line, gently as to give the impression of nibbling fish. Merely teasing, until he tugged a little harder for a total of twice before kicking off the mud and towards the boat, following the pillar of shadow that’d lead him beneath it’s hull. There he’d float, watching Mahsain’s dangling legs for a moment before surfacing right next to them with the vigour of a pouncing crocodile. And with a smile, full of sharp teeth, to match.

“ Any luck, Roshan? “

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

The line tugged again, just lightly at first before harder and she perked up again. Another bite and so quickly! She began to pull in the line, this time coming in easier even than the snagged seaweed from before. She must have caught a minnow. As the line pulled from the water, the bait still dangling on the line, she looked at the bait confused. She could have sworn that there had been a bite on the strand. She peeked her eyes up at the sun, had she gotten sun addled from the afternoon?

Suddenly a sharp smile appeared by her leg where it dangled over the side making her jump slightly in surprise, eyes wide.
"Jens!" She gasped before a smile broke her face, the moon pattern on her face stretching to match.

"It's not going to well. I caught some seaweed earlier, it'll dry nicely for a snack." She said with a shrug. "But no fish." There was a pout at those final words. "Taking a break from the scavenge? Anything good among the wreckage?" She asked change the subject from her failure as a fisher woman.

 

[Jens]

Seaweed for a snack — Disbelief flickered past his face, his stare averting at where the line sunk to the dark sea so he might mask at least some of it from being so obvious. Each to their own, he had to suppose, though what was that he’d told his daughter time and again — Don’t judge before you’ve tried it? And he certainly hadn’t despite appearances.

“ Not a break. “ He smiled pleasantly, grasping the edge of the boat and nodding for her to scoot over to the opposing edge, to counterweight that he might climb on board. “ I’m quitting for today. “ And I’d do that for good, if I wasn’t damn well bound to the ship like a serf to a plot of land. At least himself wouldn’t have to do it until death — a meager hope at this age for a man whose years kept rolling half past his notice.

“ Nothing of particular interest, save for some silver baubles. “ He added as he hauled himself up, sweeping the water off the wrap about his head. His hand slipped into his satchel, producing a little oval powderbox with a rearing hippocampus on the lid which he unceremoniously handed to her. To inspect or to keep, it was all the same to him, really.

“ The damn lid is stuck, but there is probably a nice mirror inside. Maybe jewels if you’re lucky. “ He flashed another smile and buckled the satchel back closed, eyeing the distance wherein the sea and the shallows trailed off to haze.

“ I think it’s the commotion about the scavenge. Only small fry here and they are skittish as of the noise and all that. Might want to try a bit farther off, hmh? “

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

The navigator scoot down the little boat and the fishkin pulled himself from the water, dripping into the boat as he took a seat. She shrug, it didn't matter to her what he did or didn't do. She was just here to make sure the ship got from one point to another. There was a quartermaster or something that was responsible for the scavenging crews, she was not that. Laying the reeled in fishing rod down in the boat, Mahsain took the offered box. The silver box a bit tarnished from the sea, but it could easily be shined back up again.

Pulling a small knife from the belt at her waist, she pushed the tip into the edge of the box and worked it along the edge until it popped open. Water spilled from the inside, revealing a small key on the inside. It was something she supposed. "Guess we'll never know what this key is to." She shrugged and put it down in the bottom of the boat.

"Sure! I'd love to be able to bring some fish back for dinner." Sitting up she pulled a pair of oars out from under the boards that were the seats and began rowing the boat away from the bilge.​

 

[Jens]

“ Suppose we won’t. “ He agreed, tracing the shape of the small key on the bottom of the boat. “ Someone will melt it into something new, am sure. Once we get back to shore from his damn— “

He trailed off, adjusting in place as Roshan picked up the oars and begun rowing. It was soft going, a gentle glide about the waves as they went further off into the clear day’s haze. Staring in the distance, he pulled the cloth about his head lower on his brow, to shade his look from the glare of the sun. With how bright the sea sparkled, it was hard to not squint still, looking into it.

So he watched what lay directly below instead, keeping score of the water as it grew deeper and darker and yet, clearer. The voices on and about the ship became exponentially fainter, warm air muting shouts and even calls of gulls. Those that weren’t tailing about the little boat, that was, be it in the air overhead or some yards away on the surface, white feathered shapes floating about like forgotten fishermen’s buoys. Not so much on the sly, as just shamelessly opportunistic.

Dinner?

“ Have you something to put the fish in? “ He asked, pulling on the handle of the knife hanging at his belt. “ Could gut them here already, give back to the sea what we don’t need. “

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

She tilted her head as she rowed. Having not really thought it through. Sometimes a common theme of hers. The stars changed as the sky moved and a reading that was good for one minute was bad the next. The navigator had become some what spontaneous as a result. It was important to take advantage of what one learned before it was too late. So when Jens made the suggestion of rowing out further, it was without full consideration of the idea that she went.

"Hmmm, nope. Nothing besides this boat. Back near the ship, I hadn't really considered the need." The vessel had been close enough that any catch she might have made could have gone right to the galley or into the bottom of her boat. That had mostly been her plan. Mahsain remembered suddenly. "There might be a bucket under one of the seats though. I think I saw Gorgie stick one in here earlier."

She pulled the rows up and back into the boat, feeling that they'd gone a fairly good distance at this point. She picked up the rod and pulled a strip of fish from her pocket to bait her hook and threw the line in. "Maybe we'll be luckier out here. Bigger bites." She said flashing a grin.​

 

[Jens]

He snickered past a row of sharp teeth, all of them bared as she admitted how ill-equipped this little trip was. No matter — happens, one had to suppose.

“ I was thinking something with a lid, more like. “ He confessed In turn, easy amusement sustaining as he shifted over to search beneath the seats. “ Against the gulls, you know. “ And the stench.

“ But suppose with the two of us here, you won’t need to worry about them. I’ll sit guard over your catch. “ Finding the bucket, he lofted it skyward and peered into it, inspecting its condition. Pinpricks of light shone through, side by side on one of its edges. Whether it’d hold water and for how long, was to be seen.

“ Gorgie sure did choose you a prime bucket. For bailing out water. “ He hummed, putting it down in a wooden clomp. “ Don’t get too big bites, yeah? “

He sat down on the middle seat, eyeing the floor for something to pluck the little holes with. A splinter to whittle into size, something—

“ There’s only so much space in here and we’ve so many uninvited dinner guests. “

 

[Mahsain Roshan]

Her eyes glance up at the gulls hovering in the sky above them, sometimes swooping in and out as they went back toward the ship where it sat at a distance. One particular bold creature landed right on the tip of the little dingy, cawing in a demanding tone. "I'm not adverse to having gull for dinner either. Wager it tastes like chicken?" She asks as she eyes the creature, that perhaps sensing it's danger leaps into the air with a beating of wings.

The navigator gave a little shrug of her shoulders. The line in her hand tugging sharply and she started to pull it in, wrapping the loose line around her hand. A crude reel, but it worked. Slowly she pulled the catch closer and they were soon rewarded with their first actual fish. Her face lit up in excitement. "See I knew we could do it!" Moving out this distance had improved her catch rate already. Likely due to the scavenge crews stirring up the ocean floor and scaring all the fish away. She pulls the hook from her catch's mouth, tossing it on the bottom of the boat as Jens fiddled with the bucket. The fish flopping around on the wood.

Mahsain worked her fingers into her pocket again, pulling out another piece of fish that she used to rebait the hook. She would have to make sure to really wash these pants later. Otherwise the fish smell would never come out.