Urgh it was so much hotter down here than it was further north but he supposed that would work in his favour. As he waded into the shallows within the sandy ring, fish scattered away from his paws. Not that he hadn't expected that already. He had actually come in an attempt to catch some crabs. He had tried it once before, and he was sure this time he would know what he was actually aiming for, so the boy held his breath and dove beneath the waves.

Everything was kinda blurry under the water and the salt water stung his eyes, but he spotted the rock with legs skittering sideways across the ocean floor. He paddled closer, having to squeeze his eyes shut against the sting at the last moment, but it was fine, because his jaws closed around something solid, and he knew crabs had hard shells. Rotating his body he pushed off the sandy ground, breaking the surface with a triumphant grin, water droplets flying and glittering in the sun. He had caught one! and he paddled towards the shore confidently.

It was a rock again, but the realisation hadn't quite sunken in yet.

"speech".

running around like a clown on purpose

He had recently told his brother goodbye for the day. They had spent some time fishing but he wasn't quite ready to go yet. No, Kuroo needed some time to fish before he headed back home. It wasn't that this place had much more interesting fish than the bay, but it was different. The way the tide washed in and out to reveal the many different tide pools had him interested. What this place had that the bay didn't was crab. That sweet, juicy meat inside those claws made his mouth water. So he had stayed behind with a good-sized net. If he could catch enough of them, he would be able to serve up some crab at the next pack meal.

As he turned to head back to the rings of sand, his pale gaze noticed a larger fella in the shallows. Freezing hesitantly, Kuroo watched from a distance. It wasn't that he wasn't a social wolf, but he didn't want to disturb someone in their hunting adventures. Waiting patiently with the crudely made net between his jaws, Kuroo watched as the tusked man dove into the waters. A small smile pulled onto his lips as he waited with bated breath for the man's successful catch. Taking a few steps closer to the scene, Kuroo's brows raised as the man surfaced with... a rock?

Furrowing his brow, he tilted his head to the side. With his lips parting slightly, he almost said something. Deciding not to so as not to ruin the man's joy, he let out a happy woof instead. "Good job!" Kuroo called out as he closed some more of the space between them. "I'd say could eat it but not sure you'd find a rock tasty," he finally mentioned as he smiled happily with a short shrug of his shoulders as if to say eh shit happens.

rocks are tasty?

With water streaming down his face and out of his ears, he almost missed the call from the other wolf a short distance away. He grinned around his rock despite the statement dawning on him. As he waded further into the shallows he spat out his prize and cocked his head, lopsided grin clearly seeing more than the funny side of the situation. "What this?" He questioned, resting a paw atop his prize, "This was what I was after all along! Tradition, good luck charm, ya' know?" His delivery was made confidently, but he had to sit in the water to try and conceal the playful tapping of his tail. "Besides, the crabs are easier to catch if you get the rocks out of the way first."

"speech".

running around like a clown on purpose

Kuroo set his net down and rolled a rock over it so it wouldn't wash away in the tide. In the time it took for him to set his net down, the other wolf had spat out his caught rock and was standing triumphantly beside it. As his gaze lifted to settle on the tusked male, one of his brows quirked with a curious expression settling over him. He could barely hide the amused smile as the stranger spoke confidently. Even if there was an attempt to hide the playful taps of the tail, Kuroo could see the water splashing. Trying not to chuckle, Kuroo played along with the bit. Nodding his head, he pointed a paw at his net.

"I agree. Getting rocks caught in my net sure is a bummer," he adds as he closes the distance between them before sitting in the shallows himself. His own tail wags and splashes the water behind him. "They call me Kuroo. I haven't seen you around these parts before," his gaze still moves over the stranger as his head lilts to the side. Even as the salty breeze plays with his fur, he ignores the surroundings. Usually, most didn't travel this far south, and seeing someone new was always intriguing to him.

Kuroo Shima

See? The Jarvela boy beamed back as the other mentioned how inconvenient it was to get rocks caught in his net, his own tail waving with an upbeat tempo. When the other guy introduced himself, he responded in turn, "I'm Arne, I move around a lot. I hadn't come this far south before though." He answered easily enough, looking from Kuroo's net back to the water, and pushing down a little niggle at the memory of the last time he had help someone set a net. "Do y'need a hand setting that thing up? It's been a while, but I can follow your lead."

"speech".

running around like a clown on purpose

Kuroo's tail wags happily as Arne beams at him. "A pleasure Arne! A lot of wolves don't normally wander down this far," his lips turn down slightly at the thought of it. While he spent most of his days busy fishing in the bay, he was slowly realizing how lonely he was. Unlike his brother, Kuroo was a far more social wolf and enjoyed having conversations with others. Determined not to let the thought of how secluded and mysterious Tojo-Kai was, he pushed away the sour feelings. Meeting this Arne fella was a treat anyway!

His tail wags again as he remembers the net he brought. "Oh, well actually it's a throwing net! I wasn't expecting anyone to be here today so I brought something that I could solo," he hesitates as he glances at the shallow pools around them. "But you're welcome to stay and keep me company! It's not every day I get to meet someone new!" Kuroo's voice is chipper as he turns to pick up his net. "See, I tied a long piece of rope to a part of it with a rock on the other end so I can toss it and pull it back in! Neat, isn't it? I fish pretty much every day in that bay right over there," he lifts a paw and points toward Manatee Bay.

Kuroo Shima

Arne wasn't much of a one for using tools so he didn't feel silly when the other wolf told him it was a solo net. Instead, he grinned and nodded along as Kuroo explained it's use. "That is neat! I should probably look into different ways to make hunting a bit easier but... I keep getting distracted." He admitted with a laugh. He looked in the direction the other wolf gestured and tucked it in the back of his mind, sure to keep note of it for the future. "Certainly looks like it'd make for better fishing, a bit more sheltered than this place."

He would take the other wolf up on his offer of company. He spent plenty of time around other wolves, being swept into the band, but he didn't really spend a lot of time with individuals in the group. "Is the weather always this nice down here?" He queried, looking towards the sky. It certainly seemed a lot fairer than other places he had been.

"speech".

running around like a clown on purpose

Kuroo can’t help but smile. It was more than nice having some company that wasn’t any of the moody pack mates or girls. He could only chatter with them for so long before he earned for the quiet of the bay. As social as some thought him to be, he was more of a one wolf kind of guy. All he needed was a companion… Maybe one day. Letting out a sigh, he glances over at Arne.

“Hunting does take some bit of concentration,” he adds with a light chuckle before tossing the net into the shallow pools. Keeping his eyes trained on his netting instead of Arne, he nods. “Yes, I’ve setup quite a few self-sufficient net systems so I don’t have to watch them all the time. Can get a bit lonely though. Not many enjoy the bay as much as I do,” Kuroo shrugs as he begins to slowly drag his net in.

Kuroo Shima

Arne was impressed watching the other man reel in his net. His biggest challenge had honestly been how to manage hunting on his own, he was really limited to what he could manage but here this guy was brining in multiple fish at once all on his own and he wasn't even getting his face wet. How cool was that? His tail dragged through the sand as it wagged, showing his enthusiasm for Kuroo's skill. It certainly was something to watch. "Do-uh, do ya think y'could teach me how to use one of those things?" he asked tentatively. His only previous attempt at net setting had been... a lot, and this at least looked more manageable.

"speech".

running around like a clown on purpose

The piebald man could hardly contain his excitement when Arne asked to be taught. His tail practically thwacked the sides of his body as he finished reeling in the net. Fish, albeit small ones, wiggled in the netting as they gulped for water. Knowing these ones were too small and he really was looking for crabs, he focused on releasing them as he tried to formulate a good sentence to the other man without sounding too stupid.

“Of course. I’m always willing to teach anyone who wants to learn,” his voice is strained but in the best way possible. Kuroo is hiding his happiness as he turns to Arne with a bright gaze. “Be careful of your tusks,” he take this moment to glance over the other man. Yes, he would do good with some training, he was sure of it! “With this net, I made it easier by attaching this length of rope so I wouldn’t mess up the net itself,” his words are careful, calculated, picked perfectly in hopes that Arne wouldn’t get confused. Lifting the length of rope with his paw, he handed it out to Arne.

“If you grab it with your mouth, really wind up by twisting into a semi-circle and then chucking it out into the water,” he moved to show the action before he smiled and waited for Arne to give it a try. “Don’t worry if it doesn’t work the first couple of times. It takes a lot of work,” Kuroo is positive, confident, and hopeful that Arne enjoys the lesson.

Kuroo Shima

Kuroo made it look so easy. Arne tried to mimic his movements, taking the rope between his jaws, turning to swing the net towards the water, but he was a bit late on his release and the net arched back over and landed on him instead. He managed a chuckle. "Looks like I'm dinner! Sorry if I don't taste great!" He ever so carefully extracted himself from the delicate net and did his best to reset it, angling his tusks to carefully unpick any tangles and then resetting the rope to go again. The second time, he managed to find the water, but it wasn't really deep enough to catch more than fingerling fish. He freed the baitfish with care and threw them back into the water to grow a bit more before resetting the net again. He watched Kuroo's technique again, and eyed the net he was hauling in, wondering if he got what he was after this time?

"speech"

A lighthearted chuckle rumbled in his chest as he watched the rope swing over Arne's back. "I'm sure you'd taste just fine!" He says back with good humor though he feels his cheeks flush a little. Clearing his throat and shifting his gaze back to the water, Kuroo gathers his net into his jaws. He can feel Arne watching him which only made his stomach do somersaults. Flustered at best, Kuroo attempts to throw the net back out and instead watches as it lands tangled over a bunch of rocks. "Uh, I promise I'm good at this!" Kuroo says with a nervous laugh before gathering the net back up.

"You know, I do have a stash of fish back at the bay if you'd like to join me. It would be a lot easier than trying to get anything out here," he lifts a paw to wave at the tide pools laid out in front of them. Normally, he was an excellent fisher and was up for any task, but for some reason, as he stood near the tusked man, all he could think of was how hot it was feeling. "Kaicho doesn't mind visitors in the bay if you need somewhere to stay the night," his lips turn up into a smile as his tail wags softly. Some company would be nice.

Kuroo Shima