joint post: come on it, the water's fine!
The weather report had forecast rain, but they'd been lucky. The sky had been clear and sunny when they'd picked out and set up their campsite earlier and it had stayed just as balmy on the long hike to the lake. It was his last chance to be with his baby sister before she went off to college (not such a baby anymore. Life seemed intent on forcing him to acknowledge that fact despite his best efforts to avoid it). Cloud wanted today, this whole trip together, to be perfect.
Which she was. Almost embarrassingly so. He could eat a little pride though to see Ami smile like that. He'd like to blame it on the fact one of his arms was in a sling and say it was slowing him down but - the fish really did just like her better. As he watched her reel yet another one toward shore, his blue eyes narrowed behind his tinted glasses and he just had to ask.
"Are you sure you didn't put some kind of girly hex on my lure or something?
"Of course I didn't," Ami returned easily. "I don't need to do anything like that to beat you in fishing." The spell was on her lure. Besides, it didn't take much to use the water to sense where the fish were. And it was, emphatically, not cheating. It was a part of her.
So Ami's innocent look as she pulled in her line was an entirely sincere one, really. It was amazing how much resistance fish could muster in the water, and she strained against the effort of bringing it in. From the way her rod was bent double, it must have been a decent size.
Given that his bobber wasn't doing anything but sitting there lamely in the water, Cloud turned his concentration on Ami's. Which was underwater most of the time thanks to the fight the fish was putting up. When she was younger, he would have helped her. She was too stubborn and half the time the fish would have pulled her in the water before she'd gotten the fish on dry land if he hadn't been there to anchor her. She was an adult now, or close to it, as he had to keep reminding himself and she could fight her own battles. As long as if was just against fish, at least. So he got the net ready for when she got the fish close enough but didn't try to take over what she was doing in any way. It was hard sometimes but he was learning. Or trying to at least.
"We keeping this one for dinner or are you letting it go back to its fishy family once it admits you've won?"
If she can handle demons, crazy genetic experiments, and manifestations of nightmares and death, she can handle fish. Ami brought the line in steadily, playing a little to slowly wear out her prey.
"That depends on the size," she pointed out. But from the way her arms were just starting to tire, it was probably a keeper. She glanced aside to note that Cloud was ready, and made a concerted final effort to bring it in. As it broke through the water, she grinned.
Cloud gave a whistle as the fish showed up, first under the water and then being pulled clear, thrashing. It was definitely a keeper and he caught it in the net with a smooth twist of his wrist. Not happy about being out of its element, the fish continued to fight as Cloud brought it back to the dock. Efficient, he got the hook out of it and dropped it into the bucket.
"At least we won't end up eating hotdogs tonight," he grunted. Which was when the first splash of water hit him, scattering across his nose and causing his head to jerk up in surprise. He hadn't noticed the already low clouds starting to send their darts of water across the lake, too busy with the fish and his little sister. Now though he was finally aware of the fast approaching storm. Too late to head back to the campsite. A quick look around revealed the lean-to shelter on the shore and he jerked his chin at it as he caught up his own pole and gear with his good hand.
"Come on."
She was still looking at the bucket, rather smugly, when the rain went from a few drops that weren't worth noticing, to a steady stream. No wonder the fish had been biting heavily; she'd read that they tend to feed most right around a rain.
She headed quickly to the shelter, though the rain didn't quite seem to reach her as they went; she was keeping it away and keeping herself dry. And probably waiting for this to be noticed, and to be asked, before doing the same for anyone else.
ooc. so - we're going with a bit of an AU (an AU within an AU - we need to go deeper!) with this post. It's pretty much modern day Tokyo, where Cloud and Ami have been brother and sister all their lives and they're getting in one last family event before Ami goes off for college. Feel free to jump on in as a late arriving family member, a friend, a stranger in the lean to they're taking shelter from the rain in, whoever you feel like jumping in as. Due to the HUGE difference in our posting speeds, I'm a snail, put who you'd like to have tagging back in your subject line, either or both, together or separate threads and whether you're open to random threadjacking by the other or not. I've got a busy couple of days coming up but I wanted to get this up and out there now before LJ updates and goes down again. Come join the rainy day fun!
Which she was. Almost embarrassingly so. He could eat a little pride though to see Ami smile like that. He'd like to blame it on the fact one of his arms was in a sling and say it was slowing him down but - the fish really did just like her better. As he watched her reel yet another one toward shore, his blue eyes narrowed behind his tinted glasses and he just had to ask.
"Are you sure you didn't put some kind of girly hex on my lure or something?
"Of course I didn't," Ami returned easily. "I don't need to do anything like that to beat you in fishing." The spell was on her lure. Besides, it didn't take much to use the water to sense where the fish were. And it was, emphatically, not cheating. It was a part of her.
So Ami's innocent look as she pulled in her line was an entirely sincere one, really. It was amazing how much resistance fish could muster in the water, and she strained against the effort of bringing it in. From the way her rod was bent double, it must have been a decent size.
Given that his bobber wasn't doing anything but sitting there lamely in the water, Cloud turned his concentration on Ami's. Which was underwater most of the time thanks to the fight the fish was putting up. When she was younger, he would have helped her. She was too stubborn and half the time the fish would have pulled her in the water before she'd gotten the fish on dry land if he hadn't been there to anchor her. She was an adult now, or close to it, as he had to keep reminding himself and she could fight her own battles. As long as if was just against fish, at least. So he got the net ready for when she got the fish close enough but didn't try to take over what she was doing in any way. It was hard sometimes but he was learning. Or trying to at least.
"We keeping this one for dinner or are you letting it go back to its fishy family once it admits you've won?"
If she can handle demons, crazy genetic experiments, and manifestations of nightmares and death, she can handle fish. Ami brought the line in steadily, playing a little to slowly wear out her prey.
"That depends on the size," she pointed out. But from the way her arms were just starting to tire, it was probably a keeper. She glanced aside to note that Cloud was ready, and made a concerted final effort to bring it in. As it broke through the water, she grinned.
Cloud gave a whistle as the fish showed up, first under the water and then being pulled clear, thrashing. It was definitely a keeper and he caught it in the net with a smooth twist of his wrist. Not happy about being out of its element, the fish continued to fight as Cloud brought it back to the dock. Efficient, he got the hook out of it and dropped it into the bucket.
"At least we won't end up eating hotdogs tonight," he grunted. Which was when the first splash of water hit him, scattering across his nose and causing his head to jerk up in surprise. He hadn't noticed the already low clouds starting to send their darts of water across the lake, too busy with the fish and his little sister. Now though he was finally aware of the fast approaching storm. Too late to head back to the campsite. A quick look around revealed the lean-to shelter on the shore and he jerked his chin at it as he caught up his own pole and gear with his good hand.
"Come on."
She was still looking at the bucket, rather smugly, when the rain went from a few drops that weren't worth noticing, to a steady stream. No wonder the fish had been biting heavily; she'd read that they tend to feed most right around a rain.
She headed quickly to the shelter, though the rain didn't quite seem to reach her as they went; she was keeping it away and keeping herself dry. And probably waiting for this to be noticed, and to be asked, before doing the same for anyone else.
ooc. so - we're going with a bit of an AU (an AU within an AU - we need to go deeper!) with this post. It's pretty much modern day Tokyo, where Cloud and Ami have been brother and sister all their lives and they're getting in one last family event before Ami goes off for college. Feel free to jump on in as a late arriving family member, a friend, a stranger in the lean to they're taking shelter from the rain in, whoever you feel like jumping in as. Due to the HUGE difference in our posting speeds, I'm a snail, put who you'd like to have tagging back in your subject line, either or both, together or separate threads and whether you're open to random threadjacking by the other or not. I've got a busy couple of days coming up but I wanted to get this up and out there now before LJ updates and goes down again. Come join the rainy day fun!