Fishers or Fish?

Writers: Ames, Chelle
Date Posted: 23rd October 2010

Characters: Lisadi, Sarban
Description: Lisadi joins Sarban as he fishes.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 11, day 15 of Turn 5
Notes: Mentioned: Corowal

It was his day off. Hoping his assistant had everything in hand, Sarban could be seen sneaking
off around the corner of the Hold, headed toward the River. The Steward was notorious for his
days spent fishing and it was no secret that he'd get the cook to fix them for him.

Lisadi was smiling as she sat along the river bank, her bare feet dangling in the cool water. This
was one of her first mornings completely free since she'd taken on the two children. Both were
happily playing with some other families, which left Lisadi free to do her own things. She loved
the water and had been sitting, staring out over the flowing stream as she breathed in the freshness
of the air. It was peaceful and beautiful. She realized just how much she had grown to love her
new life here at Emerald Falls, more than she could ever have imagined.

He approached, and was surprised to see someone already at his favorite spot. Stopping, he looked
around, trying to think of what to do. "Ah..I didn't know anyone was here."

Lisadi looked up, a smile lighting on her face. "Sarban. Hello. It's good to see you again.," Sarban
had been kind and good to her ever since she'd arrived. Even though she didn't always cross paths
with him, for some reason she felt a connection to him that she could not explain. Perhaps it was because
he was the first person she'd met at Emerald Falls when she'd arrived. "I think there's enough room
for both of us," she added, touching the ground with her hand, "Unless you'd wanted to be alone. In
which case, I can go?"

He made a split second decision, clear on his face. "Ah no..it's fine.. I don't have a monopoly
on Hold grass." He came forward and began to fiddle with his equipment. Sarban checked his
line, pulled out his bait, and began to get ready. "Do you fish?"

Lisadi was inordinately pleased that he stayed. She would enjoy the company. "I have not fished in
many a Turn, and even then I was not good at it. My..." Lisadi realized she intended to speak of her
husband, Burned. It was hard to believe, but since her arrival here, she'd hardly spoken of him to anyone.
She pressed onward, speaking of Burned to Sarban for the first time. "My husband used to fish," Lisadi
stated quietly. "He tried to teach me."

"Ah well..he must have been a smart man then." Sarban made sure she could see as he showed her.
"You make sure you have enough line. Then, you get your hook here...You tie the hook onto the line
using a very tight knot. Then your bait goes onto the hook like so." When he was satisfied, he offered
her the rod. "And you put the line out into the water."

"He was," Lisadi replied. She watched him baiting his hook, then took the line. She recalled watching
others casting their lines, so with a flick of her arms, she sent the line sailing through the air to land
with a plop on the surface of the water. "I did it!" she stated excitedly.

"And now..you wait." He smiled. "Sometimes you'll get a bite pretty often but it's the smaller ones.
Othertimes you don't, and it's usually the bigger fish."

Lisadi nodded her head, prepared to wait. It wasn't often now a days that she had a free afternoon,
she might as well enjoy it. "I wanted to thank you for your help when Trewlin ran off. I think I was so
distraught that I didn't thank you properly." Lisadi tilted her head to look at Sarban. "You've been
nothing but helpful and supportive since I arrived here. Thank you for making this transition easier,"
she smiled at him before turning back to look out at the water.

"Aye well it's my duty to my holders to help them all I can." Sarban wasn't the type to ever be a bully,
though he did use his authority when it was necessary. "I'm glad the boy wasn't harmed. Things are
going better now for him?"

"Yes, things are much better now. We've reached a, sort of, agreement. Trewlin knows now what
the boundaries are and he's starting to settle down. It's hard to lose your family. He struggles with it
each day." Lisadi's face formed a slight frown as she thought of the boy's loss. So young to have lost
so much. She would never replace what he lost, but she hoped to make a difference in his young life.

"It's amazing how different it is to truly be acting as a mother. I always wanted children, but until you
actually have them, I don't think you're ever really prepared," she chuckled a bit. Just the juggling of the
day to day tasks seemed to be so much more difficult now that there were two lives depending on her.
"Oh, and little Dareera's uncle has gone away for a short spell, so she's now with me full time as well. I
think he wants to be part of her life, but isn't quite ready to be more than an uncle."

Lisadi felt a tug on her line. She glanced out at the water, but just as quickly as it had come, the line relaxed
again. "Thought I had one there," she said, smiling as she looked at Sarban.

"Sometimes they're tricky," he said of the wily fish. Thinking about children, he watched his line. "No, I don't
think there is a way to be prepared for that. Lives depending on you." In a way, all of the holders were like
Sarban's children. He was responsible for them all.

Lisadi nodded her head a bit at his words, but didn't add anything more, for she simply didn't have anything
more to say. She sat, watching the water and holding her line. Lisadi enjoyed the quiet and the bubbling sound
of the water as it lapped against the land. After a little time had passed, Lisadi felt another tug on her line. Her eyes opened a bit wider and she turned to look at Sarban, only to feel her line being nearly yanked from her
hands. Gripping it tightly she said, "I don't think I can hold it!"

He moved quickly, getting behind her and putting his hands over hers. "Steady...hold it and reel. Be careful to
not break the line."

She tried to hold the line. Sarban's help made all the difference. Suddenly, she didn't have to reel the fish in on her own. He was there, helping once again. Sarban was good at helping her. He'd been there to help her a lot
since she'd arrived at Emerald Falls.

"I think we've got him," she said, and realized just how close to her he was. His scent was in the air around her. It almost made her drop the line. She hadn't been _this_ close to anyone in a long time-friend, foe, or lover. It was uncharted territory for Lisadi. Gripping the rod again with all her might, she tried to focus on the fish instead of the man.

"I've never caught one before. In all my attempts, this will be the first," she said, as, with his help, the fish was slowly reeled in. When the rather large fish finally emerged from the waters, Lisadi called out excitedly, "Look! Look! I caught a massive fish!" She turned her head and beamed a smile at Sarban in that moment. All thoughts of anything else vanished in the thrill of catching her very first fish.

"Well congratulations! You'll have to roast it for dinner I think." He helped her pull it out and set it down on the ground, looking at it. It flopped around for a bit then finally stopped. "You know how to clean it, right?"

She was smiling brightly as the fish flopped around on the ground. For once, _she'd_ been the one to catch the fish! "Yes, cleaning fish was a job I was given often at my old hold. I could make quite a supper with this fish." She glanced down at her catch. "Would you care to join Dareera, Trewlin and I to feast on my first ever catch? Since it was you, after all, who helped me reel this big catch in."

He was quiet for a bit as he ran through his thoughts. He didn't have to join Corowal for dinner every night. "I can stop by I'm sure." Putting the fish in the tackle box, he then went about recasting his own hook. "Let's see if I can't get one of my own."

"That would be great, Sarban, if you're able of course." Lisadi took a few minutes to help clean up the things around them. "I'm afraid I've got to go now. I'm supposed to pick up the children. I'll stop by the kitchens later and pick up my fish, and any you catch if you'd like. I'll have them cleaned and ready for dinner when you come." She smiled kindly in his direction. "Thank you for a fun afternoon, Sarban." With a gentle touch to his arm, Lisadi turned and hurried off to meet up with Darerra and Trewlin once again.

Last updated on the November 7th 2010

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