Work Text:
It was Tataru's idea, really. The little lalafellin receptionist had stormed into Minfilia's office one day, taken one look at her sitting bored behind her desk, which itself was scattered with more bits of paperwork that she had yet to get around to, and declared, "Miss Minfilia Warde, you are taking leave starting now!"
"Whyever for?" Minfilia had asked under a raised eyebrow. "There is ever so much to do, what with rebuilding after the calamity and now dealing with the fallout of the several collapsed castrums, not to mention what happened at the Praetorium, that-"
"Hush! That can wait," Tataru had insisted. "That girlfriend of yours has been just itching to task you on an adventure, so I have decided that you simply must take some time off and take her up on that offer."
"Oh," Minfilia had said, cheeks now a shade of pink. "Well, if it's for Veronyka, then..."
"Yes, it's for her," Tataru had said, nodding. "Now, off you go! The Rising Stones will be in safe hands in your absence, I can assure you."
That little conversation brought Minfilia here, to the busy, if smelly, locale of Limsa Lominsa, standing at the ferry docks in a crowd of people dressed for a day out fishing off the coast of Vylbrand.
"So, this... ocean fishing is open to everyone, is it?" Minfilia asked, looking down at her somewhat shorter girlfriend, who looked as though she were one wrong word away from a panic attack despite being in her home town.
"Yeah!" said Veronyka, and oh, it was good to see the life return to her eyes now that she was talking about a topic that interested her, one that she felt safe and secure in. "Lots of people do it just to practice fishing, it's great experience. I tried to get my sister to come but she said no."
"Well, not everyone can enjoy the act of fishing, I suppose," said Minfilia.
"Do you?" Veronyka asked, fear in her voice, eyes wide, face suddenly paling, ears folded back.
"Of course!" said Minfilia, with far more enthusiasm than she felt for the sport. "Any gatherer worth their salt enjoys dabbling in the other arts every now and again, just like how you go on mining expeditions with me."
"Yeah, exactly!" said Veronyka, ears now perking up again, tail swaying behind her. "My sister just likes her books more than she likes gathering, even most of Solar prefers honing their battle skills to fishing."
"Has anyone agreed to go on an ocean fishing voyage with you?" Minfilia asked.
"Yeah, Solar has a few times," said Veronyka. "And 'Kebbe, but she mostly just comes for the free food."
"Free food?" Minfilia echoed. "I don't recall a buffet or provided lunch being mentioned."
"Well, no, not in that sense," said Veronyka. "I meant the fish."
"Ah, I see," said Minfilia, nodding. "Oh, perhaps we can share a meal with the other Scions with our catch, the fruits of our labours." Veronyka purred, the sound bringing a warmth to Minfilia's heart.
"Then let's make sure to catch only the best fish," said Veronyka. Minfilia beamed at her, taking her girlfriend's clammy hand in her own, and headed for the gangway that had just been set down.
Standing on the deck of a massive ship as it moved its way out of the harbour of Limsa Lominsa, Minfilia couldn't help but smile as the wind tousled what it could of her hair. Oh, how good the sea breeze felt, the brine of it tingling in her nose and throat as she stood at the railing and inhaled the sweet, sweet scent of a day off.
"Do you go on ocean voyages much?" Veronyka asked, looking up from rooting through the large tacklebox that supplied all kinds of baits, rods, reels, and hooks, even a few lures (though Veronyka had been quick to tell Minfilia that lures were largely useless, live bait attracting bigger and better fish).
"Well, living in Thanalan all my life, no, I've never really had cause to even visit the seaside," said Minfilia.
"Oh, then this is like a real holiday for you, then!" said Veronyka, tail swaying in the air behind her. "That's great! There's just something so nice about the wind in your hair, the salt in your nose, the sounds of birds screaming and dolphins splashing." Minfilia giggled and, looking down, she could indeed see a grey-backed dolphin playing in the wake of the boat.
"Oh, to be as free as them," said Minfilia. "Rest assured, I do not loathe my role as Antecedent, nor do I take it for granted, but tis definitely a most wonderful thing to get away from it all every now and then."
"Well, then, I'm glad I managed to pull you away," said Veronyka, cheeks flushed from more than just the wind and sunlight. "Um, here, your fishing rod, my lady."
"My thanks," said Minfilia, taking it from her. "Er, do we fish now or...?"
"Oh, no, of course not," said Veronyka, shaking her head. "Wait until we pull up and the anchor is thrown overboard, then, the ferryman will let us know when we can cast out our rods."
"Look at you, you're in your element," said Minfilia, smiling at her girlfriend, who fidgeted with her fishing rod and flicked her tail this way and that.
"If I wasn't an adventurer, I think I'd be a fisherwoman," said Veronyka. "Travelling the world, catching what fish I can, discovering all kids of new fish and other sea creatures."
"How very like a miqo'te," Minfilia giggled, and, to her relief, Veronyka joined in her laughter.
When the boat finally came to a stop and the order was called to cast out lines, Veronyka joined the crowd who rushed to the sides of the boat, carefully baiting her hook and then casting out. Minfilia watched, then tried to copy Veronyka's motions. To her horror, the baited hook landed on an attractive roegadyn woman's back with a splat.
"My deepest apologies!" Minfilia gasped, but the woman only laughed and helped her with her bait. The whole time, Minfilia was aware of the eyes of a jealous miqo'te boring into her. Yet, when she turned, Veronyka only smiled and urged Minfilia to try again.
This time, the line landed neatly in the water, the bobber, well, bobbing along on the surface. Reeling in her catch was distinctly easier, though Minfilia's cheeks burned whenever she cast out, terrified of catching another fisher rather than a fish.
And then, it happened. The bobber on Minfilia's line suddenly dove beneath the water, her line pulling taut, and Minfilia would have gone overboard were it not for her girlfriend leaping behind her and grabbing hold of the reel, teeth grit and body tense behind Minfilia as she wrestled with the fish on the other end.
"Come on, damn you," Veronyka growled, ears flat and tail lashing. At last, the fish, a glimmering blue thing that seemed to glow, came out of the water, which suddenly bloomed with a rainbow of colours, a similar effect overtaking the sky.
"What in Hydaeyln's name?" Minfilia gasped as a cheer went up around the boat.
"Spectral current," Veronyka grinned. "Fish will bite much faster now and be bigger."
"But are they safe to eat?" Minfilia asked, looking dubiously at the bright blue fish that still wriggled on the end of her line.
"Of course!" said Veronyka, casting out again after moving back to her spot. Her face was radiant in the glow coming off the water, the bucket for fish beside her now rapidly filling with all manner of scaled creatures. Minfilia's bucket, too, swiftly filled as she lost herself in the pure joy of reeling in fish after fish.
All too soon, the spectral current faded away, things returning to normal.
"Surely, we cannot keep all of these fish," said Minfilia, seeing that several of the buckets were overflowing.
"How do you think the fish markets of Limsa are stocked?" said Veronyka. "We'll keep the ones we want and sell the rest."
"I see," said Minfilia. It was certainly a unique way to learn about the finances of Limsa, she supposed.
The voyage continued to the next stop, and then the next, and then, to Minfilia's surprise, the captain declared that they were headed back to port.
"Already?" Minfilia asked. "But it feels as though we just arrived!"
"I know, right?" said Veronyka. "See, this is why I love going on the ocean fishing voyages, it's a great way to pass a day." And, indeed, the sun was sinking into the sea as the boat headed back to Limsa.
"I find myself inclined to agree," said Minfilia. She smiled at her girlfriend. "Thank you, Veronyka, for convincing Tataru to order me to take leave so that I might accompany you."
"Oh, that wasn't my doing," said Veronyka. "She decided that you should take leave because you've been doing too much."
"That little sneak," said Minfilia with a laugh. "Oh, Tataru, whatever would we do without you?"
"The best receptionist ever," Veronyka agreed, and rested her head on Minfilia's shoulder as Limsa harbour came into view.
That night, as promised, the Scions sat down to a dinner of the finest seafood that had been caught or purchased with the money from the ocean fishing voyage that the Antecedent had taken with her girlfriend. Taking pride of place, of course, was the glimmering blue spectral fish that Minfilia had caught herself (with a lot of help from Veronyka).
"The seas of our realm hath offered us this bounty," said Urianger. "Truly, the wonders of our realm ever grow."
"Sure this is safe to eat?" Thancred asked, eyeing the spectral fish dubiously. "It won't make us, say, glow in the dark, will it?"
"Well, it hasn't yet," said Veronyka, taking a portion for herself and digging into the flaky flesh. Underneath the glowing blue scales, the fish looked downright normal.
"Perhaps it would be wise to serve the fish without the skin in future," said Y'shtola. She made an inquisitive noise. "The bones glow too, I see."
"That is handy," said Minfilia, picking at her fish. Veronyka watched, smiling in amusement.
"Hey, if you guys don't want it, I'd be happy to eat it," said Veronyka. Laughter rippled around the table, but the fish, to Veronyka's slight dismay, was eaten once the initial shock had worn off (and after the Scions with aetherometers had examined the fish, of course).
"May I have the remains of our fallen adversary to examine?" Urianger asked once the meal was finished.
"Sure, go nuts," said Veronyka with a shrug. "I can bring you a live one too if you want, they're easy enough to catch."
"Might I accompany you on that voyage as well?" Minfilia asked. Veronyka brightened, a purr vibrating in her chest.
"It would be my honour," said Veronyka. Minfilia smiled. It was so good, to see her little warrior so enthused about something so innocent as fishing.