Trying his hand at it.

[Tallia]

While knowing it wasn't generally not nice, she couldn't help herself from giggling for a time as he fell into the water and squirmed. Abandoning her post once more, she walked over to the soaked catman.

"It's... just practice... is all. It's always hard... to do something... you don't know how... to do... That's why... we keep our head up... and keep trying to learn... Until... until we figure out... how it all works..."

She gave him another kind smile as she grabbed his hand, leading him back to her post.

"Here... we'll just... catch some fish... together..."

Picking up her previously discarded rod, she handed it to Chaz, then sat down next to him.

[Chaz]

Chaz allowed himself to be pulled, a little uncomfortable with her holding his hand, but looking too small and frustrated to care. He sat next to her, shaking out his hair, which poofed out.

Yeah...I guess. Still frustrating.

He took the pole and looked at it uncertainly.

So, I just...hold it here?

[Tallia]

She nodded.

"Make sure... to hold it firmly... You don't ever want to... underestimate... a fish... Just relax... and concentrate on the water..."

Her eyes drew to a close as she continued to wait patiently.

[Chaz]

He followed her lead and held the pole firmly, sitting crosslegged. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the pole, the sound of the river, the trees rustling.

Be he couldn't. It was all so very boring. None of it held his interest. The quiet was unnerving, so his brain made its own noise, thinking about his plans, new blueprints, ideas for things he could build, a way to make this damned pastime of fishing more interesting.

He sighed and let out his breath, looking at the water sadly. He felt like he was letting his instincts down.

[Tallia]

Suddenly, movement. It shook hard, and if Chaz had not been holding the rod steady enough, he would have surely gotten it yanked away by the fish. Quickly grabbing on the rod to add her strength, she continued her tutorial.

"N...now... that you... have a bite... lift the rod up... sharply... to hook the fish... onto the end..."

She swayed along with Chaz, as the fish would not let itself go so easily. Lifting the rod herself, she managed to attach it to the hook.

[Chaz]

Chaz panicked a little bit, equal parts excited and anxious, pulling on the pole, standing and backing up a few paces, trying to pull the fish out of the water once Tallia had hooked it.

Uh oh. This is a little...harder than I thought...

He pulled hard, hoping the fish would give up.

[Alec]

Wandering up the creek bed, Alec holds his boots in hand as he wades through the shallow waters. Hearing talking, he cocks his head, and raises his pace just a bit. Coming round a bend, he sees Chaz struggling with a fishing pole, and smiles deviously. "Hey!" he calls, waving an arm over his head, "Clockwork kitty!"

[Chaz]

Chaz looked up confused at Alec, giving him a strange look, and in his surprise lets go of the pole.

No no no! Grab it! Grab it!

He jumped forward into the water and struggled towards it as the fish pulled it right past Alec.

[Alec]

Turning, Alec snatches pole out of the water, yanks on the fishing wire, pulling the fish out of the water but snapping the wire, and catches the fish carefully in both hands. "Looking for this?" he says, smiles, then lunges forward as the fish slips out of his grip and splashes back into the water, swimming up the creek.

Pausing for a moment, pole and snapped line in his hands, Alec hangs his head, looking at Chaz. "Riiight......so, that didn't go quite as planned."

[Tallia]

Tallia remains where she stood, blankly staring at the newcomer wondering what the heck just happened. Realizing they haven't properly met before, she goes into full-on blushing mode. She meekly tries to greet him afterward, giving a bow.

"U...umm... Hello..."

[Alec]

Catching site of Tallia, Alec bows in return, one hand flourished out to his side. "Madame. I do not believe we've been properly acquainted?"

[Tallia]

"W...we... have not..."

He called her "Madame"! He hadn't done anything yet, but the way he talked already had her speechless. Not to mention he was pretty cute, too... She couldn't help but blush harder thinking about this kind of stuff. Trying to clear her mind, she attempted to converse.

"U...um... My name... is Tallia... Tallia Felestine..."

She attempted a curtsey, not sure if she got it right or not. Did she really need to further embarrass herself to this man?

"I... I see you know... C...Chaz... here...?"

[Chaz]

Chaz sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, his ears flattened against his skull.

Yeah...yeah. Met him at a...a get-together.

He looked forlornly down the river.

[Alec]

"Alecsander Greenwood, at your service," he says, bowing once more, flourishing once more, and then rising. "But please, call me Alec. And yes, I do know Chaz here, though really only in passing. As he said, we met at a 'get-together'."

[Tallia]

A "get-together"...? They must mean Lady Margrett's party... She had thought they'd gone a bit further back than that, but it appears not.

"O... oh... I see... Um... w...well... as you can see... I was... trying to teach Chaz... how... to fish... And... as you can see..."

She pointed to the pole and wire Alec held.

"Things... did not... go well..."

With a nervous laugh, she brushed back her hair.

"Um...if... if y...you don't mind me asking... what... are you doing... out here...?"