[center][h3]Christmas Village - Ice Fishing[/h3]
[b]Fujiwara no Mokou & Heismay[/b]
[b]Setting:[/b] Snowy Thursday morning
[b]Wordcount: 2839 (+4 EXP) (+8 Rapport for Mokou and Heismay)[/b][/center]

By the time that Heismay made it to the fishing holes, a distinct figure was already seated next to a perfectly cut hole in the ice, lounging on a chair with a santa hat perched upon their head and a blue ball napping next to them, also having a hat on their head. 

Mokou herself barely looked up at Heismay approached, simply leaning back in her seat with her legs folded, [color=ed1c24]“Sup. Take a seat, plenty of seats and rods to go around. Haven’t gotten a bite just yet, but fishing is all about the patience”[/color] she comments, gesturing to the rod rack that was nearby.

Having trotted over from the assembly of Seekers by the to-do board with an almost youthful energy in his gait, Heismay was delighted to see Mokou already situated at the fishing hole with her new companion. “Ah, I wasn’t aware you had a penchant for fishing, as well. And you’re exactly right about patience. Tis indeed the crux of the matter, which can make fishing a niche pastime, since patience is all too often a rare virtue.”

It took some effort for the diminutive eugief to wade through the snow toward the frozen pond, especially with such a chill, snowy wind blowing. Maybe Heismay was just imagining it, but it felt even colder than it had been yesterday. As such, he chose a spot where his back would be toward the warmth of the blazing furnace nearby, and set down his tacklebox as an impromptu stool. Instead of using the rod rack pointed out by Mokou, he extended a well-used and expertly-made rod of his own, which he baited with a [url=https://webfishing.wiki.gg/images/CricketBait.png]cricket-shaped lure[/url]. “I’m rather used to whiling away the hours on my own,” he admitted as he got set up. “However, I shall not turn up my nose at good company. Good luck, Mokou.” Though it felt like a good time to use the Phoenix’s full name, he remembered her saying that she didn’t much care for her full name in their first encounter. This time, without a mutated elephant carcass around, perhaps the two could get to know one another.

Heismay sank his line into the hole alongside Mokou’s, and began to wait. His face and front were cold, but the radiating heat of the furnace behind him helped keep him warm. Most people would probably be uncomfortable if not miserable sitting out in the cold as they waited for a fish to bite, but for the first time since Snowdin, Heismay actually felt at peace. In such a well-lit and festively decorated area, with so much bustling activity throughout the village, he felt reasonably safe. Even if he wasn’t the most sociable person around, he could appreciate not having to hide himself in a dark closet to finally feel secure. To an extent, he still couldn’t believe that the vast majority of the people he met were broadly accepting of a eugief like him, seldom even batting an eye at his inhuman features. Now that he’d experienced the World of Light, he couldn’t help but wonder if the discrimination that his tribe -and many others- faced in Euchronia wasn’t simply an inevitable fact of life. Of course, the World of Light had many other failings, but it made a man think.

Not much else to do while fishing than think, after all. Other than talk.

It wasn’t long before Heismay’s eyes wandered to the rotund beast at Mokou’s side, not-so-patiently awaiting a fishy feast. “Found yourself a partner as well, have you?” he asked. “It seems many amongst our number are enjoying the companionship of strange creatures. I never considered a pet myself, but if caring for them is as easy as they make it look, perhaps I should give it a try.”

[color=ed1c24]“Yeah, wasn’t my intention at the start. Found them as an egg and was going to make a meal out of it. Then it hatched in my arms and, well, that’s that”[/color] Mokou states, her own eyes glancing down at the Spheal, having woken up and waddled closer to the edge of the fishing hole, [color=ed1c24]“Was going to give them a few fish I caught. Haven’t done much fishing in a few years, but I had a phase early on where it was calming.”[/color]

The phoenix takes a moment to look over at Heismay, scanning the eugief for a moment before turning her eyes back to the hole, [color=ed1c24]“Haven’t talked much since the zoo. Or rather, since the whole Naytiba fiasco. Figured I’d ask what your world was like.”[/color]

“Hmm…” Heismay sat quietly, considering what to say. He hadn’t anticipated a conversation on this topic, and he didn’t exactly relish it. Describing different worlds had been a tricky topic so far. One could never tell how much overlap there was. Some worlds shared the same name, even the same countries, with only granular differences in history and current events. Others were so different that one pretty much had to start from scratch. Beyond that, though, how much was appropriate to share? Nobody wanted to listen to rambling complaints, and Heismay didn’t need anyone’s pity. After a few moments, he cleared his throat.

“I hail from the United Kingdom of Euchronia. It is a country formed from three states: the Kingdom of Euchronia, the Principality of Oceania, and the Principality of Montario. Though we are fortunate enough to not be at war, ‘tis hardly a time of peace. There is a great deal of social and economic division between the various tribes, resulting in distrust, anger, and violence. More than that, though, civilization is under siege by strange beings known as ‘humans’.”

At that, Heismay could not help but snicker. “I’m well aware that in this world, ‘human’ seemingly refers to ordinary people. In mine, though, humans are terrifying, bizarre monstrosities, resilient and filled with magla–the energy that allows us to do impossible things. Until recently, ‘tis thought that humans were merely legend, but I have been unfortunate enough to encounter several.” He shuddered, and not just from the cold. “Does that suffice? I’d be curious to learn about your world as well.”

Mokou didn’t look at Heismay as they talked, her gaze still fixed on the water. But a slight tilt of her head towards him showed that she was listening, ultimately nodding as he finished, [color=ed1c24]“Interesting. So mutated monsters with magic… Not surprising that those exist in other worlds, but I am surprised that the term ‘human’ is used in such a different way. Unless they were the same as ordinary folk but were changed by something…”[/color] Mokou ponders for a brief moment before shrugging, [color=ed1c24]“Eh, guess it doesn’t matter. If you want to know my world, then I can go over a brief history-”[/color] the Phoenix suddenly stops, her fishing line going taut. Like a coiled viper, Mokou immediately yanks her line back, engaging in an extremely brief battle of wills before wrenching a fish out of the water, [color=ed1c24]“Got ‘em. One up for me”[/color] with that, she unhooks the fish from her line… Before casually tossing it to the Spheal, who lets out a happy “Sphea!” before munching away at their meal.

[i]Does she intend this as a competition?[/i] Heismay wondered. While getting lots of fish would be nice, competing sounded like an easy way to undercut the pleasant, peaceful experience of fishing. He did not comment, but continued to listen..

[color=ed1c24]“Where I come from, there’s two worlds. Well, I suppose ‘world’ is doing one of them a favor. You had the “Human Realm” and “Gensokyo”... Known mostly as the ‘Land of Illusion’. It wasn’t so much of a world, more like a caged land far from human civilization. It’s primarily a land of Youkai with a few humans- ‘ordinary people’, in this case, not yours. But it’s also just where anything that becomes forgotten by humanity goes.”[/color]

The Phoenix leans back a bit in her chair, her gaze now back to the water, [color=ed1c24]“It’s a pretty nice place, so long as you don’t get eaten by the Youkai. Those come in a lot of different varieties, though I see a lot looking like human girls. But there’s also a lot of cultures and ideas that exist within it. Not to mention different strengths floating around. The whole reason Gensokyo even exists nowadays is because one Youkai created a barrier that cut it off from the rest of the world. You don’t really see that level of power used that often.”[/color]

Heismay’s bobber bobbed subtly. He tested the line with a very light tug of his rod, but encountered no resistance, so he did not attempt to reel in. A fish had probably nudged the lure; hopefully its curiosity would lead it to bite. “If Youkai look like humans, are you a human, or Youkai?” he asked idly as he shook his head to dislodge the snow settling on him.

[color=ed1c24]“Human, or at least, I was. Hard to say when I lack a core component of what makes humans… Human”[/color] Mokou replies with a small shrug, [color=ed1c24]“I told you that I'm immortal. I’ve lived through countless generations, and after a few hundred years it’s hard to see yourself the same as folks who actually age.”[/color]

The eugief took a second to release his hold on his rod with one hand and scratch his little pink nose. “I can see your reasoning.” Part of him wondered if Mokou’s immortality was to blame for her somewhat aloof behavior. Hard to talk to people if one couldn’t relate to them, he supposed. That said, she seemed to be doing fine. Heismay wasn’t qualified for psychoanalysis, so he didn’t consider the notion further. Unfortunately, he also couldn’t think of anywhere else to take the conversation. After about a minute, he cleared his throat. “Have you decided on a name for that new pet of yours?”

At that question, Mokou looks down at the Spheal, who had finished their piscine meal and had rolled over onto their back, [color=ed1c24]“Not sure yet. Trying to think of a good name for them though. Had a friend from Gensokyo who had a similar color scheme though, so that might be what I name the lil’ gal”[/color] she comments, reaching over to pat the Spheal on its belly, [color=ed1c24]“Though it might be awkward if we ever meet them in this world. They’d likely be too distracted with this ball then actually care about me naming said ball after them.”[/color]

“A means of reminiscence,” Heismay remarked. That wouldn’t be his first choice, but it wasn’t like he had any better ideas. His gaze lingered long enough on the adorable Spheal, gurgling and wriggling as Mokou kneaded its blubbery middle, that he almost didn’t notice the tug at his lure. “Hm!” Just before the fish could get away, he yanked on his rod and began to reel it in. He could feel a weight on the line, although it didn’t put up much of a fight. After a couple seconds, the hermit pulled his catch from the icy water, only to be gobsmacked by the sight of a bizarre [url=https://i.imgur.com/35uTpT1.png]peanut-butter-and-jellyfish[/url].

“...What in the world?” Mindful of the tentacles, he brought the limp, floppy sandwich over and set it next to him in the snow to freeze. “Never have I seen such a thing,” he admitted. “Is it a living sandwich, or just an absurd fish? I suppose tasting it would be the only way to be sure, yet I’m oddly hesitant.” He shook his head, then prepared to cast his rod again. “If only Lady Hulkenberg were here. I’m sure she’d eat it without a second thought.”

[color=ed1c24]“... That’s… Certainly not something I’ve seen before”[/color] Mokou comments, looking at the strange jellyfish before abruptly having to pick up the Spheal as they tried to waddle over to the strange creature, placing the ball on her lap, [color=ed1c24]“Guessing this Hulkenberg is an old friend. Knew a Youkai back home who was notorious for having a bottomless appetite myself, though we were more acquaintances than friends.”[/color]

Heismay chuckled as he resumed the waiting game. “More of a new friend, really. I had only just met her and the others who visited Martira before…all this happened.” He gestured broadly at the world around him. “Hers wasn’t a case of bottomless appetite so much as an exotic appetite. Sandworm larvae are something of a regional delicacy for Martira, and I ate what I had to, but she actually seemed to relish them. And the others made allusions to even stranger dishes. I’d have liked to get to know them a bit better, circumstances permitting, but alas.”

Only a couple minutes later, Heismay felt another tug on his line, this one much closer to what he expected of a fish than the last. “Aha! Twould seem lady luck is finally on my side!” This one took much more effort and skill to reel in, but Heismay kept a cool head and wore the fish down bit by bit, until finally he could pull his catch from the water.

He was greeted by the sight of a [url=https://i.imgur.com/qP31ryf.png]green fish[/url] with wide, vacant eyes, a striped hat, and a big, red nose to go along with its unusual lips. As he watched, the fish reached up with a fin and squeezed its nose to release a honking sound. Heismay blinked at it, baffled. “...Perhaps I spoke to soon.” Nevertheless, he laid the second fish down by the first to chill out, then looked at Mokou. “And here I thought that fish I found in the ice swamp yesterday was strange. Did you see that one? Twas practically skeletal, possessed of a twinkling constellation inside its gaunt body.” He shivered. “Let’s hope we need not eat that one.”

[color=ed1c24]“Nope. Was busy getting drowned by whatever that giant was in the water”[/color] Mokou shrugs, her line going taut once more and, in a smooth motion, the Phoenix added another fish to her own pile, making sure her Spheal was seated comfortably on her lap and didn’t go after her haul, [color=ed1c24]“Haven’t seen a literal clown fish though. But yeah, I get wanting to do things before this whole thing went down. I was literally sitting in my shack before I abruptly got blinded. Can only imagine how some of the more active Youkai from my world reacted to that.”[/color]

The two continued to converse as the minutes slowly turned into hours, trading trivia about their respective worlds and anecdotes about old friends or acquaintances. They learned a bit more about one another, but never got too personal. Over the course of his time at the fishing hole, Heismay caught two long, slate-blue wolffish, their distinctive incisors designed for crushing molluscs and crustaceans. He caught four hardy char with greenish-brown backs and vivid vermillion undersides, although one was a [url=https://i.imgur.com/R9Fx8mO.png]molten aberration[/url] with bubbling flesh and rock-hard scales, which destroyed his best lure. No matter how long it sat in the snow beside him, its heat never diminished, which helped make his time out in the cold more bearable. One more clown fish turned up, its intermittent honking vaguely derisive, and he snagged a fancy-looking [url=https://i.imgur.com/ZymhPuH.png]charp[/url]. Finally, his most impressive catch was a [url=https://i.imgur.com/v2iSd9p.png]tuna[/url], so big and heavy that he needed his Assassin archetype to lift it out of the water.

Mokou’s own haul was just as large, with a few oddities scattered throughout. She herself had captured a few [url=https://imgur.com/5ogxINE]Monkfish[/url] and [url=https://imgur.com/KEcXTVr]Flying Fish[/url], but her other fish were a bit more odd. Three of her fish were a set of [url=https://imgur.com/7OxoJ6o]white fish with diamond eyes[/url], seemingly digitalized. She had raised an eyebrow at it, but after letting her Spheal test out the fish, they seemed quite fine for eating, so she simply shrugged and added them to the haul. The phoenix also caught a fair amount of [url=https://imgur.com/j4PALKU]snow-like crabs[/url], though her own best catch was a [url=https://imgur.com/NoaU3Kj]massive, golden salmon[/url] that had spat out a few gems at her before she added it to the haul of fish. The feast would be odd, but with a good bit of elbow grease the cooking would make it good.