Heretical Fishing

Chapter 63: Proposition

On my way through the village, I picked up another croissant.

I was feeling rather peckish after a morning of smithing, minor as the work may have been.

Naturally, I grabbed a second coffee, too.

“Thank you, Sue!”

“Thank you, Fischer!” she called, once more a blur behind the coffee machine.

I bit into the flaky pastry as I walked, the buttery flavor washing over me and pairing perfectly with the coffee.

That Fielday was even more productive than I’d hoped.

I stopped in place so abruptly, my coffee almost spilled. I cocked my head, my face scrunching.

Why does it feel like I’m forgetting something, though…? I’m pressure sure I did—

I ran through the streets of Tropica.

***

As I knocked on the door, I plastered an apologetic smile on my face.

There wasn’t a sound from the other side, and just as I started thinking no one was home, the door creaked open.

A single eye peered out at me.

“Fischer.”

“G’day, Joel. You, uh, you alright, mate?”

His single visible eye didn’t move, and he let out a sharp sniff.

“I’m fine.”

Seeing he was most-certainly not fine, I rushed to speak.

“I wanted to come and apologize for missing your group meditation yesterday. I know I promised I’d come, but some wild things happened, and I just didn’t have the time.”

In truth, I’d forgotten, but he didn’t need to know that.

The door slowly swung all the way open, and Joel stood before me, putting on a smile.

“Would you like to come in?”

***

Joel forced a smile onto his face as he opened the door.

“Would you like to come in?”

“I’d love to, mate,” Fischer said, easily striding inside.

“So, wild things kept you away yesterday? What kind of wild things?”

“I mean, there was the merchant, the coffee, a new friendship, and all tax-break shenanigans—but all that was nothing before Sharon’s recovery.”

Joel’s heart fluttered, and all his feelings of rejection melted away like all life before the inevitability of carcinization.

“Sharon has recovered?”

“Er—yeah.” Fischer raised an eyebrow, but it was quickly swept away by a full-faced smile. “I wasn’t aware you knew her.”

“I do—we do, I should say. The Cult of Carcinization meditates on the health of sick community members, channeling our will toward their ascension.” Joel sniffed again. “You’d know that if you showed up for the group meditation yesterday.”

Fischer furrowed his brow.

“Just to clarify, mate—you meditate with the express goal of turning sick people into crabs?”

Joel nodded seriously, content that Fischer was so quick to comprehend.

“Precisely. If carcinization were to claim them, they would leave behind the weak flesh of the body, and with it, all illness and ailment.” Joel snapped his attention to Fischer. “She didn’t show any signs, did she?”

“Er—signs?”

“Of Carcinization.”

Fischer pressed his lips together, and Joel’s hopes soared.

Is it possible...?

***

I pressed my lips together; it took every ounce of my will to not laugh in Joel’s face.

“Nah, mate,” I forced out, keeping my expression schooled. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but she didn’t show any signs of evolving into a crab.”

Joel sighed, long and exhaustive.

“As expected. I know it likely won’t happen in our lifetime. Even so, I hold out hope that carcinization will occur in our sleepy little village.”

“Hope is a powerful thing, Joel! You never know what will happen.”

I turned and strode toward the door.

“Well, I’ve got a bunch of stuff to get done—thanks for the hospitality!”

“Y-you’re sure you have to go? We could do a meditation together if you please.”

“Sorry. So much to do, so little time. I’ll see you next Fielday for the meditation, though, yeah?”

“Of course. I’ll see you then, Fischer.”

As I walked outside, I finally let my smile out.

A meditation actually sounded quite nice, but if I spent one more second in the Carcinization headquarters, I couldn’t have stopped myself laughing at Joel and his hope that Sharon sprouted claws.

Man, he would absolutely lose his shit if I introduced him to Snips—I wonder if he can be trusted...?

I’d have to consider it more; I still didn’t know him well enough to make that call yet.

With my sincere apology delivered, I made my way toward Maria’s.

***

“I’ve brought someone to meet you, Mum.”

Maria led me into the room, and Sharon peered at me with a focused gaze.

“G’day, Sharon—I’m Fischer.”

Roger cleared his throat.

“That’s his way of saying hello.”

“Barry told me of his colorful words, husband.” Sharon smiled up at me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you finally—I heard you’ve been helping out my family, and I find myself in your debt.”

I held up both hands.

“I was just helping out where I could. You owe me nothing.”

Sharon nodded, accepting my words.

“Would you mind giving us a moment of privacy, Roger?”

He shot a look at her, then at me, his eyes narrowing.

“My goodness, Dad.” Maria walked over and grabbed his arm. “Show Fischer a bit of trust, would you?”

“No funny business,” he said in passing.

Roger’s warning was entirely undermined by him being dragged from the room by his daughter, and Maria rolled her eyes as she removed him.

The door clicked closed behind them, so I returned my attention to Sharon.

“What did you wanna speak about?”

“I wanted to know more about you.” She sat up straighter, resting her hands on her lap. “You showed up on our shores only weeks ago, and from what I’ve heard, you’ve had an overwhelmingly good impact on everyone in Tropica—my family included.”

I sat down on the end of her bed.

“Hearing that makes me happier than you know, Sharon. I came to Tropica for two reasons: fishing and making friends. Knowing I’ve had a positive impact on those around me is all I could ask for.”

She nodded, a kind smile spreading across her face.

“Where did you come from?”

“Really, really far away. It may as well be another world with how different it is...”

She nodded again, and her eyes held an intelligent gleam as she stared into mine.

“Are you from this world, Fischer?”

“Uh... yes...?” I responded, the words unconvincing, even to myself.

I let out a soft chuckle, trying to hide my shock at the abrupt question.

“What makes you ask something so wild?”

Sharon shrugged.

“I’m only joking. I remember stories my parents used to tell me as a young girl—tales of fancy where people would appear from another world and flip the Kallis realm on its head with their very existence.”

My skin prickled, and her look seemed to pin my feet to the floor.

She let out a quiet laugh.

“They’re just stories, of course. Since the gods fled and the System stopped working properly, such things are impossible, wouldn’t you agree?”

I leaped at the extended olive branch, nodding along.

“I couldn’t agree more. Those stories do sound rather romantic, though—someone just appearing from another world and helping people out.” I shrugged. “I’m from Kallis, too, unfortunately.”

“Helping?” She shook her head with a smile. “We must have heard different stories as children. More often than not, in the ones my mother used to repeat, new arrivals swiftly gathered power and started taking over vast swaths of land before a hero finally stopped them.”

“O-oh... right…”

“That only further cements you as a fellow native of Kallis—all you’ve done is help others, after all.”

“I gotta say, I never heard those stories as a kid. Were there any tales of people who arrived and didn’t want to conquer...?”

Sharon tilted her head back and forth.

“There were a few, but they always ended up becoming tyrants in the end. Power corrupts, as they say.”

I grimaced.

“It does seem to have that effect...”

“Well, if one shows up, maybe you can be the hero that saves the world.” She gave me a wink. “Thank you for indulging my questions, Fischer. I just wanted to get a better idea of the man that was my family’s lifeline while I was unwell.”

I tried to give her a confident smile, but it felt shaky.

“You’re welcome, Sharon. It was a pleasure to meet you finally.”

“The pleasure was all mine.”

She stretched, letting out a yawn.

“Would you mind sending that over-protective husband of mine back in? I have some tasks to take his mind off me.”

“Has he always been so... intense?”

Her eyes sparkled.

“Always. It’s what I love the most about him, but it can get stifling at times.”

“Alright. I’ll send him your way.” I shot her an exaggerated wink. “Good luck.”

Sharon laughed, the sound light and fleeting, reminding me of her daughter.

“I’ll certainly need it...”

***

Roger made a sound that, by some stretch of the imagination, could be equated with a noise of gratitude. He turned and strode into the house.

Maria sat on the porch, lazily dragging a stick through the dirt below. She looked up at me.

“So? What did mum want to speak to you about?”

“She just wanted to thank me in private for letting you guys farm my land while she was sick.”

Maria smiled halfheartedly, then returned to drawing in the dirt.

I sat down beside her.

“How are you feeling?”

She pressed down on the stick; it snapped in half.

“I don’t know how I feel.” She picked up both halves, probing the broken ends. “I’m beyond happy that mum has recovered, but I feel... useless?”

“What makes you say that?”

Maria sighed.

“I feel like I should do something, but she’s already back to her sharp self. Dad is by her side every minute for the small things, like bringing food and water, but I can tell she’s feeling smothered by even that.”

I glanced at Maria; she stared at the ground, lost in the thoughts of uselessness. I knew the sentiment well, and I wished at that moment I knew the right words to say; the magical combination of sounds that would set her heart free.

Instead, I said something cliché.

“Isn’t just being there enough?”

She shrugged with one shoulder.

“I feel like I’m intruding when I’m with her and dad. They have so much history, and it feels like I’m interrupting their conversation.”

She snapped one of the sticks, discarding the shorter end in the dirt.

“I don’t know. I feel like I just need to do something to distract myself, but there isn’t really much to do with the fields right now.”

The seed of an idea planted itself in my mind, and after a moment of trying to suppress it, the seed sprouted.

“You know... you could always try fishing...”

Her gaze shot up to me, and I smiled at her.

She scoffed, so I raised my eyebrows, my smile growing.

Upon realizing I was serious, her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened..

“You’re serious? You’d show me how to fish?”

“Yeah! Why not? You’re looking for something to keep you busy, right? A new hobby sounds like just the thing.”

I tried to keep the desperation from my voice.

Keep it cool, Fischer. Don’t scare her off!

“Is... that something you’d be interested in?”

“If you’d asked me a couple weeks ago, I’d have rejected it offhand, but after getting to know you...” She shrugged. “The idea doesn’t seem so bad...”

While I was thinking of what to say next, she continued.

“I don’t think I could, though—can you imagine how dad would react? The silent treatment wouldn’t be worth it.”

My mind raced for a way around the roadblock that was Roger.

“What if we went on a trip?”

“A trip?” she asked. “What do you mean?”

“Have you ever been camping?”

“Fischer...” She laughed, the sound free and jubilant. “I have no idea what a trip or camping is.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. A trip is like a holiday, and camping is staying outdoors. There’s this place I saw on the way here that I’ve been meaning to go back to. It’s a couple of days away, but we could camp overnight in the forest.”

“Hmm,” was all she said, then she stared off into space.

Damn, did I come in too hot? I really just want someone to fish with after meeting Theo, and it feels like just the thing to keep her distrac—

“Let’s do it, Fischer.”