Amber Avery  	The hour was growing light and the dim light of evening was closing in, but along the edge of the orange-pink reflection in this secluded pond, somewhere on the edge of her partner's fairy-bubble, Amber sat, legs stretched out ahead of her and arms behind, propping her up. A busted up branch was stuck in the ground beside her, one with some manner of line tied to it - likely some string of grass fiber. Fishing, except with a pretty shitty pole, and line, and everything else, but she still found a way to make it work. In her other hand she fiddled around with something shiny, something silvery, with sapphires and diamonds inlaid into it. Something she really should have gotten rid of, but here she was, rubbing her grubby hands on it as she waited for a bite.

Rosetta Linden  	Rosetta came out to the outskirts of her grove to see Amber...Fishing? Was that what they were doing? Weirdo. The pond did have a few fish, but Rosetta had plenty of meat. And even if it wasn't that, she had her own fishing poles. Ones that didn't suck. She wasn't going to mention it quite yet though. She just took her stroll out to sit on one of the larger rocks at the edge of the pond, careful not to make noise or disturb the water. Looking over, she noticed that Amber was still holding onto something. Was that..? "How are the fish biting tonight, Amber?" she asked quietly, eyes fixed on their face from her spot a few feet away.

Amber Avery  	Maybe Rosetta did have poles that didn't suck, it wasn't like she was going to ask for help - she probably figured they didn't like hurting all the poor little fishies with hooks, which... might have been ridiculous seeing as she'd clearly seen meat around the place. Oh well, still not asking. Even with the brunette's care, their words still served as a shock to Amber, who jolted in place, sending that pretty silver whatever-it-was flying through the air, right smack dab in the middle of the pond where it sunk. The blonde grumbled some sort of profanity under her breath, then faced towards her company. "Not too well if you're going to scare them all off. Dammit..." She muttered. "Not like I need it anyways, with how intent you are on feeding keeping me fed." Something that while Amber was reluctant to at first, was swiftly becoming irresistible. Hey, it was free food, wasn't it? "Not that I'm complaining, all I need is a good meal and a place to rest and I'm happier than a pig in shit." She scoffed, rolling her shoulders, trying not to seem too concerned about the probably shiny rock she just tossed. "Not so much doing it for food anyhow, just something to calm the old nerves, I guess." Dammit why were they talking to her? She just wanted to sit here in peace. Well, if they insisted on it, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to keep something going, so long as the subject didn't steer itself back towards flowers. "You fish? My old man taught me-- well, not really my old man - I told you I never knew my parents, right? Fuck 'em. I'm talking about some crazy old coot who took me in when things got tough. Wish he'd done it a couple years sooner, the bastard." The blonde grumbled, returning her attention to the pond. Not much was biting, probably on account of her bait and hook also sucking.

Rosetta Linden  	Wheee. Off it went, plop right into the pool. Rosetta looked at the point of impact, then at Amber, then back at the pool, thennnnn back at Amber. No? Not going to get it? Just gonna pretend it didn't happen? All right. Cool. Glad that was settled. "So something is on your nerves? Aside from me, of course," she said, winking. "I don't think you're nearly old enough to call yourself old anything. But that's just me being nitpicky. But that's interesting, someone took you in when things got tough? I'll have to send them some flowers if he's still with us. Or pay respects with the same if he's resting," she said, idly drumming her fingers on her jaw with one hand. It had been a weird adjustment for her the past little while being female again. She was just getting used to having a dick, but then poof there it went. She was thinking about it only because she'd idly crossed her legs on the rock, something she almost never did prior to her secret little bath away from Amber. "I fish sometimes. For meat rather than pleasure, but I can appreciate the social aspect. If you'd like, I could get us some proper yew rods with silk line and some various sinkers to uhm...Perhaps be a bit sturdier than what you've got there. And some earthworms for bait, though I figure you probably have something like that already."

Amber Avery  	Nope. Not getting it. Because it was nothing. Totally nothing, just a rock. "Something's always on my nerves, Petals, and if it's not you it's something else. I've always got more than enough reason to be pissed." She didn't laugh, Rosetta's wit was enough to force an exhale from her nostrils; something which held a bit of levity to it. "Maybe not, but I don't exactly know my birthday or anything. Could be I'm just a few years from turning grey and wrinkled, I'd look damn good for my age if that's the case." She half-chuckled. "Nah, who am I kidding, I look like shit, I know it. Might want to hold back on those flowers though, man's deader than dirt. Not sure he deserved them anyhow, like I said, he could have been a bit quicker; plenty of years of those fucking runts pelting some girl with stones and makin' her drink from a damn dirty gutter should have been reason enough, and what? All over some fancy fuckin' fairy tale? Some damned superstition their whore mother's would gossip about? Horse-shit." Amber paused, and after a few breaths, faced herself away from her partner, keeping things silent for a couple moments. "...Ehm...Yeah, sure, couple rods might do us some good. Shoulda said something sooner." Her voice was softer, maybe a touch embarrassed. She definitely wasn't looking their way right now. She didn't look at Rosetta much unless she had to, definitely not enough to notice any signs of that thing (or lackthereof) between their legs, but now she seemed to be taking special measures to avoid it.

Rosetta Linden  	Rosetta was quiet for a few moments after Amber spoke. She had a sombre look about her, eyebrows lightly raised with a mix of shock and sympathy. She swallowed, then exhaled gently through her nose as she stood up without another word. But she didn't go off to get them rods. Not yet. She needed something else first. She stepped behind Amber, forehead resting against the back of theirs; five inches on the other left her able to comfortably rest her chin on their head, but she instead wanted something more tender. While she did so, her hands lopped around their waist, resting over their naval. She didn't say anything. Calling attention to what Amber said usually just had them lash out in anger. So she just gently squeezed instead.

Amber Avery  	Amber heard the footsteps, and had already let loose a noisy sigh in response to the other's departure, one that seemed to shrink her entire self down a size or two, slumping that proud spine of hers down into a lazy curve. She really blew it there, she knew it, at least when Rosetta got back with those rods she could take her mind off it... Only, Rosetta wasn't getting those rods at all. "Petals?" Her voice spoke of quiet shock, and a tinge of annoyance. Resting their head on her like this, holding her. She felt so damn small, it was something she hadn't felt in... "What the hell are you doing?" Well, clearly it wasn't something she enjoyed. Amber's palms grabbed at her partner's, showing a surprisingly amount of care as she attempted to pry them off. "Come on. Knock this shit off, are you getting the rods or not? We're wasting daylight here, dammit." All this smug teasing, all the time, she couldn't ever get a break from it.

Rosetta Linden  	Rosetta knew it wouldn't last. Her hands were firm in their hold around Amber. If amber was going to rip her hands off their midsection, she'd instead raise them up to rest on Amber's shoulders. Sure, they could just step away from her then, but she had something to say before they did. "It's not fair, how you suffered," she whispered. "I know it's too little too late...But I'm sorry. Even if I also grew up alone, I at least had clean river water to drink. I'm sorry the world abandoned you. So even if it's not you're favourite place...You'll always have a safe home here." That was all. One more squeeze on their shoulders if they were still in reach, then she went off without another word to fetch those rods. She'd come back once she had them, but she wouldn't rush. Once she did return some minutes later, a rod was held out for Amber, with a polished iron hook at the end of a silk thread on the sturdy wooden device with a modern reel. Live as she did among nature, the girl wasn't immune to modern advancements. Maybe she'd get a cell phone some day...

Amber Avery  	Amber could have predicted this happening, and even while she removed Rosetta's arms, they still found her way to her shoulders. With a defeated sigh, she resigned to her knew fate, though she clearly wasn't a fan of it. "Hey, come on, dammit. No need to make a big deal of this shit, it happened years ago." The blonde attempted to peel the other woman's hands off one last time. "Not your fault anyway, you in this damn fairy bubble, don't get me wrong, I'm jealous, but fuck. Not your fault. Just-- If you want to talk about it, fine, but no need to go crying for me or anything, sheesh." This sort of situation was beyond uncomfortable for her. She couldn't stop scratching at her cheek, and rubbing her shoulder, and slumping herself away from the one who insisted on touching her. "Besides, I've still done plenty of dumb shit since then to more than make up for it. No need to go feeling sorry for me; in fact, don't." Amber took one more lengthy rub at her cheek, groaning. After a few odd seconds of silence, she finally turned around, just to see if Rosetta was still there. Finally, a moment to herself. For a second she considered getting up and slinking her way right into that water to grab what she'd dropped, but that would probably be too obvious, seeing her all soaked like that. She'd leave it, get it another time, hopefully it wouldn't cause any trouble for her in these few minutes with Rosetta, who was now back, and with quite the solid rods. "Hey, these are nice." She smiled, genuinely surprised by this pleasant outcome. There was even a reel too, now that's something she had in awhile. Amber kicked her significantly suckier rod aside with a press of the boot, baiting her new rod and casting it into the pond, letting silence take hold. "...You know, he wasn't a bad man. Maybe he does deserve some flowers."

Rosetta Linden  	"It doesn't do well to judge the dead. Let them rest, and pay respects. Celebrate those who lived benevolent lives," she mused, casting her baited line into the pond with a few heavy sinkers. Quite a lot of weight for a body of water like this, honestly. "And forgive the trespasses of those who failed to be the best they could be while living. We're all equal in death." She let that hang in the air for a few seconds. "So yeah. Some flowers would be a nice gesture on his grave, if you know where it is." Another pause...Longer, this time. "...Alyssum wasn't the kindest mother-figure for me. She was the, uh...Forest nymph who raised me. Both my parents were gone after I was born, too. I learned a few nice things along the way. Magic, for one, though Alyssum insists I've always had a spark for it, whatever that means. I learned to live off the land. But, aheh, I was expected to hunt my food pretty early on. Wolf meat is satisfying to eat but...I learned pretty quick that the vicious bite that meat had wasn't something to get complacent about. I've had more scratches and bites than I can count. Deep ones. Stuff that probably should have killed me for being so reckless." And yet, the brunette didn't have a single scar. Could it be that she was just making it up? There would definitely be evidence of wounds like that, wouldn't there? "But even if I somewhat resented Alyssum sometimes for being so harsh, so...Survival of the fittest with me, I know she meant well. She wouldn't have taken me in if she didn't. So I think whoever was looking after you meant nothing but the best, too. And I think if he's somewhere looking down on you now, he'd be happy to see you're doing well. Living with a crazy plant lady, sure. But a damn few notches better than where you came from, right?"

Amber Avery  	"I uh... I try not to think about the dead too much... Or forgiveness." Amber scratched her cheek once more. "Some beach near a lighthouse. That's where he lived, crazy old coot. The lighthouse keeper... Probably wasn't the best idea to bury him there in hindsight, body's probably washed out to sea by now." Amber too, had a brief pause. "Probably what he would've wanted." Then another, to reel her line and listen to the one beside her. "Shit..." She let all that sink in. Petals didn't sound like she had it so easy either. Those scars... but their skin was so pristine and perfect. Not just that, everything about them could fall under that description. She didn't look like your typical wild woman of the woods. Maybe they were just bullshitting to make her feel better. It worked a little bit, even if it was made up. It didn't sound made up, but they were magic, weren't they? Amber wasn't sure what to think. She didn't know that mumbo jumbo. Still, she at least had one thought on her mind: "Didn't know fairies could be such assholes." Seriously, they were tiny and just... nevermind. "Damn. Never knew you had it so tough, I just assumed with this nice fairy-bubble of yours, you'd be growing everything you needed... Guess that meat had to come from somewhere though, huh." Amber paused. The fish really weren't biting tonight, were they? "I wouldn't have been able to do that. I just begged, begged and scavenged what I could from what people were tossing out. Hoarding it up like some kinda cave goblin. I was a scrawny little shit; I cried too. I cried a lot, over everything. Old White-eyes used to say it too, 'You're always crying! Suck it up.' that's what he told me to call him, White-eyes. Fucking dumb, I know. I called him out on it years later, 'That's fucking stupid' I said 'You sound like something straight out of some sailor's tale, a shitty one at that.' He just laughed at that, probably because he hadn't heard me talk like that up until then. It's his fault, he had quite the mouth, shoulda seen what he said to those kids. If you thought I cried... sheesh. Uh. Anyways, he told me his name eventually. Avery. Was a captain or some shit, always talked about how beautiful the world was. How he wanted to see it again, how he wanted me to see it, can you believe that?" Amber chuckled, then finally resigned herself to silence. "I did..." And then even more silence. "Sounds like we both had some pretty harsh mentors. Let's just agree parents are assholes, even when they aren't the real deal. And uh... yeah, living with some crazy plant lady ain't so bad, sure. Sure as hell beats anywhere else I've been. That's for sure. Not sure it's where he'd want me to end up, probably not where I'd wanna stay either, but for now... It's nice."

Rosetta Linden  	Hearing that Amber cried, Rosetta moved a hand off her pole to gently rest on Amber's back. A few rubs up and down, that was all. If they slapped her away? So be it. If they didn't fight it? Well. She only needed one hand to fish for now with nothing biting. "Don't get me wrong...Alyssum was kind sometimes. But she wasn't exactly what you'd call suffuse with motherly instinct. She was a nymph, not a fairy. Looked almost human, save for the pointed ears and the whole fusing with trees thing. She just assumed it was the only way to raise a child, I guess." She chuckled softly, thinking more on Amber's words. "...It's okay to cry, you know. I'm not saying you want to now, or that you ever wanted to. But it's okay. I'd slap his eyes three shades of purple for suggesting otherwise if he wasn't resting peacefully." Was this a protective instinct she had over Amber? Certainly felt like it. "And in turn you can slap Alyssum for a lot of things, like never telling me I mattered to her. Just 'the forests cannot lose your magic' or some other nonsense. Just because you didn't pop someone out or help with making their chubby little cheeks doesn't mean you're not allowed to care about them," she said, chuckling. "...Mmn. I know she cared. Just like Avery cared." More silence now........ "I'm glad it's nice. But...If you want to see the world? You should. If that's what he wanted, and you want to see it for him...Or if you want to see it for you. You should do it."

Amber Avery  	For once Rosetta's hands on her back was fine... It was fine. She didn't like it, but she didn't dislike it either right now. It was fine. "Well, nymphs are assholes, you get my point." She corrected herself. "And stupid bastards too, not that I'd know how to raise a snotty brat." Amber turned to her partner, eyes resting upon theirs, then quickly darting downward. "Yeah, yeah... I know. Look, whatever. It's not a big deal either way, not like crying's gonna do me any good, or that I need to. I'm past that point here." Amber laughed, for once. She quite liked the mental image of an sassy Rosetta slapping up her old man. She was taller than him too, which just made it twice as funny in her eyes. "Thanks, Petals. I'd be sure and slap her nice and good for you, right across her chubby cheeks." Amber felt something on her face, and quickly coughed, turning her attention back to the water, forgetting what she'd come out here to do long ago. "It's... It's fine. I've tried it before. Didn't work out so well..." Amber tilted her head downward. "Just gotta do one more thing... One last thing... Then maybe. Maybe I'll try it again. I don't know."

Rosetta Linden  	Rosetta let those words linger in the night air. It was quiet, with just the idle trickle of water and the sounds of the bugs of the night time around for them to listen to. It was soothing. "You're not the kind of girl to ever give up. So I know you will, and Avery will be proud," she said, smiling towards the water. She had all this time been very subtly moving her rod around. Which seemed odd. When trying to catch a fish, it made sense to keep it still, right? But even if they were small motions, she just kept moving it here and there. "If that one last thing is worth talking about...This is probably the best time to talk about it. Nothing else to distract. And hey, maybe with enough time doing what we're doing, you'll have enough money to pay enough people that you won't have to lift a finger to sail all around the world."

Amber Avery  	Amber had to face Rosetta once they spoke, they hadn't anticipated those words. "I'm surprised you get that impression from me. Thought I'd done a pretty good job in being a sulking asshole." Her hand brushed cross her forehead, brushing a few dirty blonde locks aside. She smiled. "Guess not." In truth Amber was paying little attention to the fishing, so such motions would be beyond her, but... she did find herself oddly thankful that a catch hadn't come to interrupt them. To give her that easy way out. She faced forward once more. "I... Now's not the best time. It-- It would take too long to explain. Besides, you wouldn't want to hear it anyways." Amber sighed, feeling that smile return to her lips once more - a small thing, but more than she'd shown before. "Sailing around the world without lifting a finger, huh? Now there's a thought." Her gaze cast itself across the pond. The sun had long set but the pale moonlight looked just as nice over the waters. Without even noticing, she found her head growing heavy, dipping down to her side, landing itself right on Rosetta's shoulder where it continued to lie, staring straight ahead.

Rosetta Linden  	Rosetta could get used to feeling like this. Just calm, quiet, serene. Her head tilt to rest back on Amber's. She took her hand off their back briefly to move onto her rod once she got tension. But it wasn't a bite. She just carefully was reeling it in, inch by inch, trying to keep it lifted up off the bottom of the pond. The reel didn't make a sound, so Amber would perhaps not even notice if they were staring off too far in the distance. "You do a good job of putting on the face of a sulking asshole...But masks only fool people who don't care to look deeper," she said quietly. "You're wrong to think that I won't want to hear it. But if another time is better, another time is better. I'll be waiting for the right time," she said softly, then let silence hang over them again for a while. Until she reeled in her catch of course. The thing Amber had thrown in the pool a while ago. She took it off the hook and set it beside her to dry, only examining it briefly to see if it was indeed the necklace Amber had found in the Arethi dungeon. But even if it was, she wouldn't say anything. Just leave it for Amber to pick up later and hang on to.

Amber Avery  	Amber would never enjoy anything so calm, quiet, serene. That sort of thing was for pansies... So it was probably a good thing she was kept occupied with this silly little daydream of sailing to be concerned about present matters; all things considered, having some weight against her head did feel rather nice. She felt awfully warm. Warmer than she'd been in a long time. That was also a nice feeling. "Guess you're just too damn perfect. Got eyes like a damn eagle. Anything you can't do, Petals?" She scoffed. "It's getting ridiculous." Masks. She didn't think she was wearing a mask, but maybe, after all these years... "Yeah... Another time, for sure. Maybe I'll uh... Maybe I'll help you in the garden sometime, only fair, sitting through this bullshit with me. Guess we're both pretty worthless when it comes to fishing, huh?" Judging by the stocks of fish she'd seen here, and Amber's many years of doing so, maybe not quite the case, but apparently they did. They sucked. Amber must have not even perceptive enough to notice her own rod catching tension, or Rosetta's dragging itself in. It was fortunate she hadn't even caught wind of what they pulled in: yes, they'd find it to be the same exact necklace from their little misadventure in the Arethi dungeon. She hadn't sold it; maybe she just couldn't find a high enough offer? Who knows what ran through that thick skull of hers.

Rosetta Linden  	Whatever the reason, Rosetta had caught what she came here to catch. Why else would she be using like eight heavy sinkers on her line? Rosetta just chuckled. "Perfect? Hardly. I just have a few ways of keeping myself the apex predator around my little fairy bubble," she mused, setting her rod aside, then just left her head leaning against Amber's. "You can help in the garden any time you like. Just leave the planting to me. The flowers around here will get fussy if anyone else touches them," she said with a giggle. Was she kidding? Did it even matter? "As for anything I can't do? Oh, I don't know. I'm really not the best fighter. Able to outsmart beasts, sure. But steel to steel with someone who knows what they're doing? Yeah. Better to just tangle their feet and run. And like you say, I'm pretty awful at fishing.~" Not even true in the slightest, but she'd let that belief exist between them. "Also not the best shot with a bow. Can hit a target fifty feet out, but have yet to hit a bullseye. Magic's really all I'm actually good at. And don't ever ask me to fire a gun. Probably would just shoot myself in the foot."

Amber Avery  	"Probably for the best I leave most of the gardening to you, but I can try. Never really had much of a green thumb, or spent too much time on the dirt to begin with." Amber chuckled in turn, well aware of the magic bullshit going on with Rosetta's flowers. Creepy things, but not so bad, all things considered. "Ah, well as luck would have it, fighting happens to be the one thing I'm decent at." She smiled, pressing her knuckles together. "I was never much good at stuff either, not gardening, not magic. Hell, I can't even spell my own name." Amber paused, only a touch embarrassed. "...But we are partners. I've got your back, Petals."