Favorite Dish of the River

Perhaps his invitation to show her his fishing was an innate desire to have someone around. Though he mostly wandered alone, he always searched for and checked in on his siblings every few weeks or month or so. He hadn't seen them in a while, and though he was confident they were alive and well, he at least expected his sister to find him at this point. So maybe that was why.

Her laughter did not go unnoticed; he was having a hard time figuring out whether it was neatly concealed sarcasm, or genuine enjoyment. Not content with leaving it open-ended, he decided to ask. “What're you laughing for?” he gives her a glance out the corner of his eyes, tone merely dipped in curiosity, devoid of any vexation or suspicion. He walked so that she more or less was beside him, but kept a good couple of feet between them.

It didn't take them long to find a more narrow strip of the river a bit farther west. Once they did, he didn't hesitate to find his way upon the stepping stones. There were fewer rocks here; mostly the sides of the river were coated in dead twigs, clumped up leaves, and a mixture of mud and sand. But the river's narrow neck would work in his favor, for the fish that passed by had little areas to swim in. “Watch the Master work,” he commented, eyes focused on the river as he found solid footing and crouched down, body leaning forward just slightly. There wasn't an abundance of fish at the moment, so patience was more key here. “You gotta get solid footing first. Be prepared to step on some slippery rocks along the way...then, when you've found your perch, be very still. Just wait for the fish to come by and....” just ahead he could see the slight glimmer, the dim reflection of sun on scales. The fish was oblivious, perhaps mistaking his still body for another part of the scenery. The moment the fish got close to Rayios, he would lunge his head forwards, plunging it into the water like a speargun, before gripping it up in his maw and snatching it from the water. He bit down hard, blood oozing out the wounds as the small bass flailed helplessly, and Rayios quickly took to getting far from the river in order to prevent its slippery escape.

Then the boy dropped it down in front of Malalia, a somewhat snarky smile on his lips. “And that's how you catch fish.” he waited to see her reaction.