escordvi | closed 🌠⚡ it's far too easy to miss the beauty in the simple things

I just finished. From here I can show you how to assemble everything.

[He shows her the strips of bark.]

You can make rope out of a lot of things, like bark, fibers from long leaves and reeds. And if you need to tie them together, there's a knot you can use that will secure them better. I'll show you.

[She grabs the strip of bark from him and holds it in her other hand, looking everything over.]

I'll follow along if you demonstrate with yours.

Pay close attention.

[And with a light smile, Eustace proceeds to show Tifa first how he made the hooks and then how to tie and strengthen the makeshift line around the reed and then the wooden hooks. He'll even explain how it works and answer whatever questions she has, including anything on how or where he learned to do all this. The most important piece of story would be how his father taught him everything.

Once assembled, he shows her how to bait the hooks with some clam meat, and then just drop the line into the pond. With that set...]

Now we wait and try not to make too much noise. We could when set the poles to stand on their own if you don't want to hold onto it the whole time.

[She does, indeed, ask, thinking that it might have something to do with how and where he grew up, so hearing about his father makes her smile, makes her heart warm. There's still so much that she doesn't know about him but plenty that she wishes to... Little by little. This is a good start.

But she is a quick study and a good student, excellent with her hands as she follows along. She does get the knot wrong the first time, but with his help, fingers over hers, she manages to get it the second (and no, she did not mess it up on purpose!).

And when they finally have their lines in the pond...]

It's a little different from the attempts that I made...

[Making sure everything is still set and secure, he looks at her curiously.]

There are many different ways depending on the location and the fish, but what did you have to do?

Well, it was just your standard fishing rod.

[She pauses as she thinks back.]

It was more about the reeling in technique that I wasn't sure about. The fish that I dealt with last time was a fighter.

[A low hum of understanding.]

With this type of poles, you wouldn't be able to deal with that kind of fish as well. Here, the moment you feel and see the fish on the line, you have swing the pole back hard like this—

[He demonstrates and the line will fly out of the water back towards them and away as he swings it to the side.]

—and depending on the size, you can just hold it up or try to land the fish on the ground. The bass I saw were small enough for this type of fishing to handle, but I also saw some small trout, too. We should be able to catch a few, regardless.

Figured. Those fishing rods are made of sterner stuff.

[She watches his demonstration, and she would follow along too if she wasn't so worried about scaring the fish away. They are curious, but that bit of motion made them wary.]

Nothing to really reel it back in like you can with those. So... gotta just pull 'em right out?

[Setting the bait back in, he nods.]

That's it. If we had nets or a bucket it would be easier, but we can make do with what we have.

Nets aren't quite as fun. Besides...

[She gives him a little nudge with her shoulder.]

I wanna see you in action.

[There's just a small laugh.]

Guess we'll see if I'm lucky or not.

[Although as he speaks, he feels a tug on his line and with a glance at her he quickly pulls back on the rod to reveal...!

A small fish.]

Got one bite, anyway.

[Too small to really keep, he'll carefully free it and toss it back into the water where it swims away and he resets his bait.]

Oh—!

[She is a little disappointed when it turns out to be an easy catch and a small fish, and even more so when he sets it back into the water. Here she was hoping for some excitement in their first catch!!!]

How come you put that one back?

Not really big enough to be cooked, so it's better to release it so it can grow, either to become food for another animal or breed to keep the population healthy.

Ah, I see.

[She looks down at the water and calls out with a laugh.]

Today's your lucky day, fish. Better luck for me next time.

Didn't know that, though. Might've just caught it anyway. See? Already learning plenty.

[A quiet laugh as he watches her line.]

Now we have to wait and see if we can test what you learned... And you might have some luck.

[They can see a fish gathering around the bait again, and there might a few tugs on Tifa's.]

You have to wait until it's really on the hook before you pull...

[She does get a little ahead of herself at first, nearly pulling the line right out when one wanders a little close, and the fish scatter for a moment before drifting back in towards it.]

So... just so I got this straight. Once it bites, I just immediately pull it out of the water?

Bite and a hard tug. That's when you'll know it's on the hook.

Hmm...

[She hums thoughtfully, nodding to each one of his words while she waits for a bite...

And lo and behold—]

Ah, Eustace! I think I got one!?

Pull it up, quick, before it breaks off!

[He'll wait to see if she'll need help, but he thinks she can do it...!]

This one's a fighter...!

[But she pulls just as he says, nice and quick, and she lifts it out of the water. The fish thrashes in the air, spraying water everywhere with its tail, and just as it's about to snap...

She yanks it back, and sends both the fish and the makeshift fishing pole flying in an arc over their heads where it lands a few feet behind them in the grass.]

[He was about to step in to help her pull up the rod, and... Maybe he should have given how it and the fish fly over their heads behind them. The rabbits that had come over to watch scatter and he just looks at her in some surprise.]

That's... One way.

[But then he looks at the fish flopping around and grins.]

But congratulations on your first catch.

[She just stares in astonishment, some water dripping over her face from her hair, before she glances back at the fish that flops on the grass behind them.

...

....

And then she bursts out into a fit of giggles.]

I can't believe... I bet I didn't do that right at all.

[He laughs quietly at her as he looks at the chaos of everything.]

Not exactly, but you did get the fish out and that's what matters.

[And soon it will be his turn to feel a tug on a line.]

Let's see if I have better luck this time.

Should we just... leave it there?

[She looks between the fish and him, her eyes going wide as she sees that tug on his line.]

Wait, already!? I didn't scare off all the other fish with that?

If you can grab it, otherwise not much else we can do it now.

[He says while pulling at the rod...]

Stand back!

[And there won't be much more warning than that before he has fling up the rod. He won't lose it like Tifa, but a fish about the same size as hers is flapping wildly on the hook, and he's quickly grabbing the line to pull the fish in while stepping back..]

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