The Dirty Work

Writers: Chelle, Eimi
Date Posted: 20th June 2010

Characters: E'rae, R'sedel
Description: E'rae and R'sedel go fishing.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 9, day 21 of Turn 5

The blue dragon was on the shore sunning. His rider had told him not to
get in the water since he would scare the fish. Leith didn't care. He
could wait before he swam and he knew that his would be happy. Wallowing
in the sand like any weyrling dragon might do, he absorbed the heat.

E'rae was on the jetty with a fishing rod, bucket, and hat. "Allright
now, come to Daddy." He was determined to get enough
fish to grill or roast for a meal. The dining hall would probably serve
herdbeast and he wanted something different. Standing
there in his breeks, he was definitely going to get some sun.

"That's exactly what I say too when I have a fish on the line," R'sedel
purred close to his ear.

E'rae didn't know why he had ended up with the greenrider coming,
but so it was. "Have you even caught anything yet?"

"Not today," the greenrider admitted, admiring the line of E'rae's
shoulders. "But I am trying."

E'rae had a waterskin nearby for when he got thirsty. Feeling a tug
on the line, he began to reel it very slowly. "Might have a bite.."

R'sedel grinned as he watched the bluerider's face. He always had such
an intense look. It was obvious that he had done a lot of fishing in
his time, but he seemed to devote his entire attention to the task. It
was amusing, really. Cute even.

When it got closer and he could feel the weight on the line, he began to
reel full out. It took some time, but finally something broke through
the water. "Get the net!"

"Oooo, a fish!" R'sedel did as he had been asked and grabbed the net
from their pile of tools. "Bring it closer."

E'rae did his best, reeling the fish in. It came up and he did his best
to maneuver the pole without breaking the line so R'sedel could reach
it. If the line broke, he would be a very angry fisherman.

"All right, now I might be long in arm and other places, but I will need
you to bring it in a little closer," the greenrider chided him as he
flattened himself on his belly to try to extend his reach.

E'rae sighed and worked harder, afraid that the line was going to snap
indeed. "Allright, I think we're only going to have one shot at this."
And with that, he swung the fish over.

R'sedel made a swipe at it, accidentally hitting the fish square in the
mouth and dislodged the fish hook completely. "Ooops?" he said
innocently, turning to look up at the bluerider.

E'rae bit his lip and closed his eyes. He was quiet for awhile.

Leith's head came up as he felt his rider's frustration.
}:Don't eat him. You want to eat the fish:{
**I'm trying**

"You have to catch the next one," came his almost-decree as he
pulled his pole back.

"It's not _all_ my fault," R'sedel patiently pointed out. "Obviously
the fish wasn't that far on the hook or a little tap wouldn't have made
much difference, now would it?"

E'rae quietly went about baiting his hook again, and then drank from his
waterskin. It was easy to dehydrate in the hot sun.

"I take it by your silence you agree," the greenrider said with a dainty
nod before picking up his own pole again.

Mentally, E'rae was wondering how long it would be before the greenrider
managed to get something on the line. He wanted fish for dinner.

"Don't look at me like that," R'sedel protested with a pout. "It's not
as if this kind of fishing has any skill involved."

"Well we don't have all afternoon." And that was true enough.

"I can't make the fish any hungrier. Either they're interested or
they're not. You just need to learn patience." After all, wasn't
fishing supposed to be an exercise in that virtue?

"Hard to be patient when you're hungry." E'rae gave up on R'sedel
and casted his line out again.

"I brought some snacks," the greenrider offered helpfully, setting his
pole down to rummage through his bag and find something for the hungry
bluerider.

The greenrider didn't get the point, but E'rae wasn't going to try and
explain it. He had learned to accept R'sedel at face value. "Here fishy
fishy..."

"Like that will help," R'sedel snorted as he tossed him some smoked
bovine jerky. "Maybe we're using the wrong bait. Maybe they're not
hungry for this stuff."

"You forget..we had one on the line." He grabbed the jerky and chewed.

"Yes, one in how long? Long enough for you to get hungry." R'sedel
pulled out a piece for himself. "I'm just saying, I think it's the
bait. They're hungry for something else."

"Then use different bait and we'll see who gets one first?" E'rae
shrugged, reeling in his line slowly.

"All right." R'sedel reeled his line back and opened the tackle box
between them. He chose a lure with a lot of metallic surfaces light
could reflect off of. Attatching the new lure, he then cast it far out
and began reeling it in slowly. "So, shall we make a wager?"

"With what, my looks?" E'rae almost laughed at that. The bluerider
wasn't the sort to have much of anything lying around. He was always
trading things for something else to be traded off again.

"Oh, I'm sure you have an imagination." R'sedel for sure did!

E'rae frowned at him and rolled his eyes. "I just want to have fish for
dinner." And as soon as he finished saying that, he felt a tug on the
line. "You lose."

"We'll see," the greenrider smiled. "I wasn't thinking what you were
thinking, by the way."

"RIIiggghhhttt..." He reeled slowly, then quickly. This time, he was
taking no chances. He grabbed the net with one hand and had the reel in
the other. Holding the line, he maneuvered the dangling fish, and
somehow
managed to get it done.

"You _think_ you know me, E'rae, but you really don't. I may flirt a
great deal, but I like to know the man is acting out of attraction to
me, not coercion." R'sedel looked at the fish doubtfully. "It looks a
might small... Is that dinner or were you finding more bait?"

"It's a start at least. First catch of the day. I've had two on the line
and you haven't got one. Get busy." He shooed the greenrider away as he
put the fish up in the basket.

"Maybe if I stick your 'fish' on my hook I could catch you a proper
meal." R'sedel recast his line and slowly pulled it back in. "But I
really wasn't thinking that."

"Seriously, why do you care what people think about you anyway?"
E'rae drank some water from the skin and went rummaging through
the bait to find something suitable.

"I don't care what people think about me in general." R'sedel was proud
of who he was, and didn't care if the world at large liked it or not!
"But I care about what my friends think, especially if I think they've
figured me wrong."

It took only a bit of time for him to make the leap. "So you consider
me your friend?" E'rae rolled that around in his head for a bit,
deciding maybe it wasn't a bad thing.

"Would I be out on a dock fishing for food when there's a whole kitchen
full of it closer to my weyr if we _weren't_ friends?" E'rae wasn't
_that_ pretty to look at!

He shrugged. "You did say you liked to go outside. You just never got
a chance to go." He gave what passed for a laugh in his view.

"Yes, but I wouldn't go out with just _anyone_..." The greenrider's
stream of thought was diverted when the tip of his pole dipped sharply.
"Oooo! I think I got one!" He jerked back on the rod to try to sink
the hook deeper.

"Good job...don't reel too fast or you'll break the line!" E'rae jumped
up, ready to assist if need be.

R'sedel wasn't completely new to fishing and so took his time pulling it
in closer, letting the fish tire itself out a bit. "Get the net. I can
get him close enough, I think."

E'rae grabbed the net and pushed down to the edge of the jetty, ready
to capture the finned animal.

The greenrider stepped back a pace to give E'rae all the room he might
need, and to pull the fighter that much closer. After all that
fighting, if he hadn't fallen off now, that fish was well and truly
hooked! "He'll be breaking the surface any second now."

"He better be a big'un." E'rae kept looking, hoping. He was so hungry..

Just then the fish broke the plane of the water with a mighty leap.
"That boy has to impress even you!" R'sedel laughed with glee, still
fighting to reel it in even closer.

"Yeah yea, it doesn't mean anything till we get it in." E'rae puffed,
watching the progress of the fish.

"Well, you're the one with the net," the greenrider grimaced as the fish
found a second burst of energy and began fighting once more.

The bluerider simply waited and watched, biding his time until he
was needed. R'sedel was doing a good job and he was definitely
thinking about long the fish would need to be roasted.

"You can use that net anytime," R'sedel panted, struggling to keep the
fish close enough that the bluerider could reach it.

It didn't make much for E'rae to nab the fellow. He was a good size,
allright. "Dinner is served. You ever cleaned a fish?"

"No," the greenrider said with a shake of his head, reeling in the rest
of the line and securing it to the pole so it would not get tangled on
anything. "I think I'll leave that honor to you, or the kitchen, thank
you very much. I cut up enough meet when Eniidith was a growing girl."

"I see...I have to do all the dirty work." He lifted a brow while he
began to gut the two fish.

"I caught the bigger fish," R'sedel shrugged with an innocent smile.

Last updated on the June 28th 2010

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The Dirty Work