Lost Excerpts (Mianite)

Moving On (sorta Sparksize) 1.3

The song that originally inspired this "oneshot" was "Watching for Comets" by Skillet. The time has finally come for some Sparksize! :D

Warnings: Some blood and depression

Capsize's laugh brought me back to the present. I'd just asked her if she'd like to see my rod. She'd given me the strangest look before I pulled my fishing rod from behind my back. I wasn't sure how I'd managed to space out in that short of a time, but I shrugged it off and laughed with her.

Capsize took the fishing rod and turned it in her hand appraisingly. I'd done the enchanting myself and was quite proud of it. She handed it back with a teasing glint in her eye. "Tis a very nice rod, but I've seen better."

"What? When?" I asked, a little put out.

She grinned and dropped below deck, reappearing a moment later with a worn fishing rod with what looked like the exact same enchantments as mine. "Oh, so by better you meant worn out," I teased.

"No, I meant better. I've used this to pull fish big enough to swallow you whole," Capsize boasted.

I laughed at that. "I knew you were a pirate, but I didn't think you were one for fish stories, Cap."

Capsize did not look amused as she answered. "And what have you caught, Sparklez? If that rod's seen use, I be a seagull."

"I'll have you know I've done plenty of fishing," I defended, avoiding the question of whether this rod had ever been used—which it hadn't.

We glared at each other for a few minutes, neither of us willing to back down from our boasts. Finally Capsize broke the silence, all the while keeping me pinned under her steely brown eyes. "There be only one way to settle this, matey."

"And what's that?" I asked, trying not to sound nervous. I thought she might be having fun with me, but I wasn't confident in my guess. I'd already misjudged Capsize's temper a few times in the week the pirates had been here.

"Fishing contest: first to catch any fish, any size wins," She said, serious expression finally breaking into a grin. "'An I think we be making it more interesting with a little wager. What do you say?"

"Oh, you're on. What's the wager?" I asked as we headed to the starboard railing where a bucket of chum from the previous night's fishing sat.

Capsize pretended to examine the small fish head she pulled from the bucket before fixing it to her hook. "You win, and I give you some booty." I knew the pirates kept a stash of gold and diamonds, but not even Tom and Tucker had been able to figure out where they'd hidden the loot. Rubbing it in my friends' faces would make the victory plenty sweet, even if it was a small gem. I nodded my agreement to the prize, and Capsize continued in a level voice, "I win, and you join me crew for life."

Oh. I looked at Capsize carefully, wondering what she was playing at. She'd been picking at the way I handled myself shipboard since we'd met. I thought she'd hated me after that captain joke I made when we first met and was only now beginning to tolerate me. For once she wouldn't meet my gaze, staring out at the water instead. If I didn't know any better... Nah.

"Sure," I said with a shrug, watching out of the corner of my eye as Capsize's face lit up for a split second. The smile was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by determination. I picked a bit of chum to bait my hook, unconcerned. I mean, it's not like I'm going to lose. "Now let's fish."

Capsize's disappointment when I caught a fish after only ten minutes almost made my victory feel like a loss. Come on, Jordan; she challenged you. You shouldn't feel bad. I tossed my small fish back into the water while Capsize disappeared to her cabin to fetch my prize. In the minutes she was gone, I found myself wondering what life as a pirate was like. I had spent time on boats before, but never on a long sea voyage. I supposed how the trip went really depended on who was shipboard with you. If you were always at each other's throats, the trip was doomed to be miserable. If you were with friends though... I smiled at the thought that Capsize apparently thought we'd get along if she wanted to be stuck on a ship with me for months at a time. Maybe she didn't hate me after all.