would you meet me by the water tonight? Who: Guy Lenard and Zacheus Aleyne. What: A fishing trip. Where: The Outlands. When: Backdated to late October. Rating: G. Status: Complete.
There were more than a few Rangers that claimed they knew every inch of the Outlands better than the back of their own hands. Zacheus wasn’t the sort to make such claims, but there were certain areas he knew better than most: this wood, for example. He could navigate this area blindfolded and never once step out of place. Every thicket of trees, every hollow, every creek—it was all more familiar to him than the street he’d lived on all his life. It was also home to what he considered one of the best fishing holes in the Outlands, and easily one of his favorite places.
The pond was on the smaller side, but the bank was home to large, flat rocks that were covered with moss; they made for acceptable chairs if you didn’t mind the occasional ant or water beetle. Beyond the rocks were large, leafy trees that hid most of the pond from view. It was a place of solitude and quiet, a place where he could go and collect his thoughts. Zacheus rarely brought others along with him.
So when he glanced up at the profile of the man sitting alongside him, he was willing to chalk up any anxiety, any nervousness he felt up to that simple fact: he was used to being here alone. There was nothing more to it.
“I don’t know why they aren’t biting,” he said apologetically, breaking a long moment of silence. “I swear I usually have good luck out here.”
However much anxiousness Zacheus might’ve held back, Guy’s could’ve easily surmounted it. Peace, calm, sitting still for great periods of time--these were not habits he typically entertained. He was a man constantly in motion, but agreeing to come along on a fishing adventure had seemed entirely too natural. After all, he was nowhere as familiar with these particular woods, and finding time to catch up with a friend were both as good excuses as any. There didn’t need to be anything more to it, and Guy seemed happy enough to make it appear as such.
After all, remembering how to do these sorts of things was an amusing distraction. He’d nearly pricked himself twice trying to hook the guppy onto the lure, and there wasn’t much to be said for his first attempt at casting out his line either (too hasty by far), but Guy liked to think he was starting to get the hang of it once again.
“You’ve gone and built up my expectations, Zacheus,” he replied, still sounding chipper. “I’ll be waiting for a prize catch at any moment!” Honestly, all the waiting had made him want to reach for a cigarette, but he had held back on the urge thus far. Affable and easy-going was he, and likely watching the ripples of the pond a bit too intently.
The archer’s gaze lingered on the pond as well, watching for any sign of—well, anything. Zacheus thought he saw the head of a baby admantitan peeking above the water like a persicope, but he wasn’t sure. Either way, the fish were still doing a very good job avoiding their bait; he was going to be embarrassed if they returned to Emillion empty-handed.
“Ah, well, maybe you scared them away,” he teased, the corners of his mouth turning upward. “They can tell you’re rusty.” Zacheus hadn’t commented on Guy’s fumbling at the time, but even he couldn’t resist a bit of light-hearted joking.
“Careful, or I’ll start zapping at the pond as a last resort,” he said with a smile. No offense was taken in this regard, it seemed. Even if he wasn’t the perfect picture of relaxation, Guy was still as easygoing as ever, even when it came to teasing. “You never know how dangerous a bored mage can be!”
Leaning over slightly as he spoke, his attention turned abruptly to the fishing pole in his hands. The line started to pull, and the entirety of Guy’s focus was drawn from Zacheus to the pond--he reeled and wrenched back with the pole as much and as quickly as he could. The murky waters of the pond gave no hint to what he might’ve caught, save for a few jerky ripples, but after a brief moment of excitement the two were met with disappointment once again.
Whatever the fish was, it had clearly outmaneuvered him, as the hook was now sadly relieved of its guppy. Guy plopped back onto the stone with a loud sigh. “Now it’s up to, I’d say.” He scratched his chin and watched in awe as the surface of the pond began to still once again.
At some point during Guy's battle with the fish, Zacheus had leaned forward, watching the push and pull like a hawk; once it became clear luck wasn't on Guy's side, he sunk back onto the stone with an exasperated groan. He was typically a patient man, unfazed by a couple hours of waiting on the rocks. Today, however, his nerves were too worked up, as if he was an overenergetic child on his first fishing trip—bored, but still desperate to impress.
"Looks like it." He tugged at his own line a bit, just to test for a response. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing.
Zacheus was silent for a moment before he turned to face the synergist, his expression curious. "I must admit, I'm surprised you don't do this more often. Fish, I mean," he added, gesturing toward the still water in front of them. "I had you pegged as a tried and true country boy."
Guy scratched his head. It was true, at least, that he had some experience with fishing. He recalled briefly his time spent as a young boy with his father, learning the necessary tricks of the trade, so to speak. Not quite as bumbling then as he seemed to be now, that was for certain--but perhaps it was because of this, he wondered, a sharp feeling sliding through his gut like a blade, that Guy declined the effort more often than not.
“It’s been too long,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair sheepishly. Already the synergist was digging through their fishing supplies to add another item of bait to his hook. “And I’ve grown lazy on rations and dried meats, I’d say. Let’s hope we won’t need to resort to those for our dinner.” The last was offered with a slight nudge of his shoulder, taking all of their apparent failures at fishing that afternoon in stride.
After all, if he was to privately measure the success of the day, he would not do so in regards to dinner.
“Hey, there’s still hope for us,” Zacheus replied, chuckling. Not much, if their luck so far was any indication of how the rest of this trip would go, but the archer was willing to make peace with that. The thought was enough to make some of his nerves dissolve, allowing him to feel comfortable enough to ask:
“And… if you ever want more practice,” he began, slowly, his gaze pointedly fixed on the pond, “I wouldn’t mind doing this more often. I know it’s not the most exciting hobby in the world, but…” Zacheus trailed off, somewhat irritated this sort of thing still didn’t come easy to him. “Lille doesn’t have the patience for it and I wouldn’t mind the company every now and then.” Apprehension flickered across the archer’s face, but it only lingered for a moment, quickly replaced by a more casual expression.
"Well now, I don't know how I could ever turn the offer down." It was said easily enough, and Guy could even allow himself a breezy chuckle. His fidgeting around afterward, trying with difficulty to adjust his seat on the rock and to find a new position to settle into could easily be dismissed as yet another fit of impatience (and nothing that hinted about his own nerves, really, nothing that was ever worth making note of). He settled in eventually and, with another curious glance given to Zacheus, waited for their luck to turn.