Smudge Marks & Engel Werks

Fish. Again.

Thayrin glaze down at the summer trout that was splayed across his plate, pan fried, and laid atop a bed of greens. Having a fresh caught fish once in a while would not have been a bad thing, but every night for the past 3 months was a little much.

"Is something wrong, Thayrin?" Ms. Sarnath asked. Or would that be Mrs. Sarnath-Vexnah now? He was unsure.

He shook his head.

"It's nothing," he said, picking up his fork and pulling the greens out from under neath the meal's main coarse.

Across from him sat Rylea. She had already shoved 1/2 the fish in her mouth, her cheeks puffed up as she chewed.

Every since they got here, it's been fish, fish, fish with a side of fish. Great if you're Miquo'te. Not so great if you were Elezen.

"How goes your apprenticeship, son?" his father asked.

"The moon is falling, and you're asking about my apprenticeship?" Thayrin glared at his father.

His Father rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"The sun will still set and rise in the morrow," he said, his eyes still closed. "There are good people, stronger and wiser than we doing what they can about the lesser moon. What we can do, is make sure they have a home to return to, food in their pantries to fill their stomachs, and supplies to help them do their work. The Wailers can't fight without spears, nor the Quivers; arrows."

Thayrin shrugged.

"Master wants me on several spear shafts tomorrow. She says it'll be good practice for planing to make a bunch of the same."

"And she'd be correct," His father nodded. "Take your time and be patient with them. It's easier to screw up something you've made lots of them before than something complected because your mind wondered off task. Are you just making the shafts? Or does she have you finishing them as well?"

"Considering she gave me a box of spear heads, I'm assuming I'll be finishing them." Thayrin continued to pull the lettuce bed out from under the trout.

"Good, good," his father replied nodding.

"Rylea," he said, sifting his gaze from his son to his new daughter-in-law.

"Mmm?" She looked up, the tail of her trout sticking out of the side of her mouth.

"Your mother and I have been talking and we think it's time for you to start an apprenticeship of your own."

She swallowed the last bit of fish, then looked towards her mother, her brow furrowed. Her mother nodded.

"You're old enough now that it's time you learned a trade," her mother said.

The elder Elezen reached down, beneath the table and retrieved a simple but well-made beginner's fishing rod. Thayrin recognized his father's handiwork immediately.

"Since you love fish so much," he said as he presented the rod to the young kit, "We thought you might enjoy fishing, just like your mother."

She took the rod and just stared at it.

"Tomorrow," her mother continued, "You'll come with me in the morning and I'll show you the basics. That'll be fun." She smiled contented yet devilish smile that only Miquo'te seem to manage.

"Okay...," Rylea replied, never taking her eyes off the rod that now lay within her hands.

Her mother got up and walked around the table until she was beside Thayrin.

"I can't leave my son out of the gift giving now, can I?" she said as she extended her hand and uncurled her fingers before him.

There, within her palm, sat a single elegant ear-cuff, of Elezen design. It seemed to glow gold against her dark skin.

"Did you make that?" Thayrin asked.

She nodded in return.

"I may be a fisher by trade, but I picked up a bit of gold-smithing so I could make my own lures," she replied smiling. "Do you have a preference on which ear?"

"Um, right," he said, then tilted the right side of his head towards her.

She carefully put it on his ear then stood back, smiling.

"Looks good on you, son," his father said smiling as broadly as his new wife.

"Thank you," Thayrin said. His fingers carefully ran along the metal sides of the golden cuff.

"Both of you finish your meal then get ready for bed," his father said between bites of his meal. "You two have a lot on your plate tomorrow."

Thayrin watched as his Father and his mother-in-law picked up their dishes and headed to the kitchen. A moment later he glanced at Rylea, her own plate filled with greens, yet absent of fish.

"You going to eat that?" He asked.

"Bleh," she said, sticking her tongue out and pushing the lettuce away.

"Trade you," he said as he handed his plate filled with fish, but absent of greens to her.

She nodded briskly as she snatched the plate from his hands.

Well, between the two of them, at least the food wasn't going to go to waste.