The Dao of Magic

66 - Fishin

Tess has her eyes closed. She is attempting to become one with the world at this moment. She is focusing all of her qi enhanced attention on the singular most important object in the world. There is only that object, nothing else matters, it is all. It's all is Tess's entire universe.

"Got another one!" Sounds the happy voice of a girl whose head is covered with short blue hair. Tess's eyebrows twitch as a new vein pops up on her forehead. Become one with the universe, girl, ignore all that is earthly.

Tess is attempting to ignore all earthly things because she is fishing. The wooden stick in her hands has a thin rope that trails behind the boat. On that rope is a colourful, wooden item that Teach called a float. Beyond that float are several metal weights keeping the line under the water's surface, followed by a viciously barbed hook.

Tess ignores Ket, who is now hefting a wooden, barbed spear. He throws the weapon into the water, seemingly at random. The rope following behind it seems too short, but Ket pulls the spear back the moment the rope runs out. On the tip is a beautifully coloured fish, a meter long.

"Hah, eat that Selis. I am ahead again."

One with the world, Tess thinks. She is trying to remember the simpler times when all she had to worry about was sneaking through the dungeon. Back then, all she needed to do was keeping her back covered in case somebody wanted to backstab her. Such simple times, when a single gold coin would be a risk to carry on the streets. When she could be left behind for dead because she had a piece of bread someone else wanted.

"Thirty-three! Even again, Ket!"

Because in those simpler times, she could control her own fate and wasn't dependant on how "MUCH SOME FUCKING FISH WANTED TO BITE, RAAAAH!"

Silence spreads across the rear deck of the Ascent after the black-haired girl stops yelling. Selis asks with a worried expression. "Are you okay, Tess?"

She smacks the wooden pole on the deck with a crack. Seeing the infernal thing undamaged, she stomps on it a couple times for good measure. "Have fun fishing, it seems it's not for me."

Selis and Ket don't seem to hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice, and happily continue with their fishing. The massive wooden tubs behind them are currently filled with all sorts of fish. Tess angrily spits in one, venting some of her anger as she stomps down the stairs. Her hands twitch as she hears another jubilant yell behind her, but she continues walking.

She abuses the stairs going down to the belowdecks and stands there breathing deeply for a little bit. She then takes an extra large breath and shakes her head. "Happy thoughts girl, smiling is free, after all."

With a refreshing smile, the girl walks forward to the place where her Teacher is at. She sees him puttering around some wooden bowl that has weirdly glowing stripes and markings on the outside. "How is it going, Teach?"

The bearded man looks up startled and Tess sees his muscles tense, ready to spring into a fighting stance. "Tess, should have known it was you who was sneaking up on me."

Tess frowns as she was most definitely not sneaking at the time, but decides to let it go.

"Anyway, the fish are doing fine. I think I finally figured some stuff out."

Tess recoils when she hears the word fish. Teach looks at her with a weird expression. "Well, I think it's interesting, no need to recoil at how boring you think my experiments are."

Tess stands there hopelessly for a bit. That is now what she meant at all. "No, I meant..."

"It's fine, the path of a scientist is often a lonely one." Teach looks off into the distance with such a melancholic expression on his face, such a peerless aura, that she bursts out laughing. She clutches her stomach for a bit, trying to get herself under control.