Submission (#5479) Approved

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

The hook slips out from Suzaku's grip and falls unceremoniously to the ground. If looks could kill, Suzaku would definitely be needing a lot more alibis than she already has, and this moment is certainly proving it. 

"Yes, Taro..." Suzaku stresses her companion's name while her Pomu diligently scrambles to pick up the fallen item. He's successful at retrieving the item and begins to proudly lift it over his head in a show of superiority. Taro's Pomu, sulks and watches from the shadow of their companion before ultimately turning away and disappearing back into the shadow. A small chirp of triumph is sounded out before the hook is snatched away and attempted to be rethread to the fishing line once more by Suzaku.

"But feel free to jump in at any time instead of just sulking there wishing you were back home in Zevija." 

Finally satisfied with the security of the tied knot, she gives the full item a once over to check for any other flaws. Seeing none, she nods, and gestures for her Pomu to run back to their toolbox and return to borrowed threading. Taro takes this moment to move closer and give his own inspection, despite the look of indignation that Suzaku shoots his way. 

"Are you serious?" 

"I just want to make sure! The last thing I want to do is end up at the bottom of the water...okay! It looks good to me!"

Suzaku's Pomu returns and she lightly pets the top of their head in a display of affection for the smaller familiar. He relishes in the attention but his enjoyment is short-lived when a small pebble hits the back of his feathered head. He lets out a shout and turns in dismay to the source of aggravation, only to find her chirping in laughter. Taro and Suzaku spare a glance at each other and both sigh, letting the two work out their differences and turn back to the task at hand. They both settle on the boardwalk and cast their lines into the cool, blue water just below. It's not a busy day in Ealei, thankfully, and the two kittoms are able to bask in the (relative) silence. Provided they're able to tune out the sounds of a scuffle from their familiars. 

"I wonder why our parents brought us here..." Taro breaks the silence first, although his trailing thoughts give Suzaku pause to answer. Even she doesn't know how to respond and allows the moment to pass in somber silence. The ripples on the surface of the water are steady and she looks up to the blue skies instead to think. The sprawling branches cast bits of shadow down below and light is able to filter through some of the areas that are less dense. If she really closes her eyes and focuses, she's sure she could hear a chorus of sounds that live in the shadows just below. Ealei is beautiful and not blanketed by the fog that she's so familiar with in the land she calls home. Suzaku might not know what caused their parents to ship them to this submerged land...but she certainly has her suspicions. 

"Maybe they just felt it would be better for us to see something new once in a while." Surely, Suzaku knows that Zevija is devoid of the more...hospitable types of water. And Taro's fear of falling in seems a lot more justified when given the time to consider those factors. She certainly can't deny that life seems to move at a much more relaxed place here than the land she calls home, and Suzaku wonders if perhaps the security of the Eldertree, with its graceful and winding roots visible below the surface of the water, helps all the land's inhabitants feel a bit more secure. "And I'm sure they would be happier seeing us get along a bit more." This part she knows is true. Their first introductions didn't go over very well, and Suzaku's impression of Taro was a bit marred by their encounter. But that was nearly a year ago...maybe her mother's memory isn't as bad as she first thought after-all. 

Taro chuckles a bit at the admission before returning his focus to their task of fishing. They had both been woken up this morning by Mafu, his father, who had all but shoved the materials to go fish into their arms and told them to keep busy before their parental figure disappeared for the rest of the day. The rest of the morning had been pretty stressful, but now that they were both here relaxing, Taro feels a bit of gratitude at the experience to maybe mend the fence between them.

"Yeah maybe...I did want to apol-" Taro's words are cut off by the sudden action on the line. Suzaku grips the makeshift pole with as much strength as she can muster, and both of their Pomu's return frantically and begin to tug haplessly at the struggling kittom. Despite the water being so clear, both of the kittoms missed the large fish that had come up during their daydreaming and begun their attack on the hook that was encroaching in its territory. 

"Watch out!" Taro leaps over and takes hold of the pole in lieu of the struggling Suzaku. The latter falls to the ground in a panic before scrambling back up and reaching towards Taro in a desperate attempt to keep him out of the water. Her efforts are in vain, however, as the strength of a kittom is certainly no match for their underwater opponent and Taro goes tumbling into the water below the pier. She's momentarily stunned at the turn of events, before she hurriedly crawls to the edge of the dock and scans the water below for signs of her companion. Her panic is calmed by the face she's grown (minimally) fond of staring back up at her, and she can't help but let out a laugh at the mixture of shock and disbelief written on Taro's features.

"A...are you sure the fish got away..." Suzaku can't help but continue her laughter, oh how she wishes there was somebody else here to see this! "Because I'm sure looking at one right now! You're a natural Taro!" In her fits of mirth she's unable to defend against the hand that drags her down into the water below as well. 

"Hey!" The indignation comes naturally for her and she's ready to let loose a verbal fury the likes of no kittom has seen before, but the moment she opens her mouth to speak a Manaberry is shoved right in. Taro's grin is devious and his paws are holding a few more of the aforementioned fruit. There's a moment of stillness that engulfs the both of them, before a cacophony of laughter cuts through the silence. Taro and Suzaku might not see eye to eye on a lot of things, but for now this watery encounter was enough of a compromise for mending something they weren't really sure was broken. 

(Taro spends the entire journey back home fretting about the wet clothes on the wooden floors and Suzaku learns how much easier it is to ignore somebody when you're munching on some delicious snacks.)