Isher Notra

Stella:

Fishing was dull.

What a surprise.

Stella sat on the boat, fishing rod in hand. She gazed at the watery abyss that reflected the boredom carved on her features. She hadn't felt alive for slow, painful, agonizing TWO HOURS!

The only source of entertainment was wiggling the rod occasionally for the bait to emulate a tiny fish's movements and Padda's whistling. The latter was starting to get on her nerves.

At least she had a gorgeous sight to behold. On her left side was a green and vibrant forest of conifers, and the logic-breaking, towering mushrooms embellished the opposite one. Standing between two contrasting landscapes kept her mind going for a while.

The fake pond's water glistened with the scorching sunshine, and the spore mist from the Sampiens occasionally touched it, forming a blueish sparkle on some corners of the body of water.

The girl wondered if she would get high if she drank the mixed substance. She really needed it at that point.

"Did'ja roll all the way here? Your clothes look worse than mine!" Padda was the one to start the conversation, surprisingly. He seemed so uncomfortable earlier.

The monotony was so powerful that the Human had to take a few seconds to answer. "I only have those to wear, I'm afraid."

"That so? My guess is you turned tail on yer parents, right?" He asked.

"Don't have those." Stella's eyes drifted somewhere else. Not even she knew what she was looking for.

"Ah..." He tapped her shoulder. "Sorry, kiddo."

"It's fine." That was a bald-faced lie.

And so, they were back into the awkward yet tedious void for about ten minutes.

"So... Do you... catch a lot of fish every day?" It was Stella's turn.

Padda barely rotated his head to address her. "Eh, it's a scarce season these days. Just catching enough to get by, and sometimes it ain't enough. To not starve to death, I go to the capital every month or so."

Okay, now Stella had a topic for conversation. "Where did you get your money from?"

Padda was distracted by the flies soaring around them, so it took almost a minute to get an answer. "Sorry. I had a job selling the fish I caught, but I'm too old for that nonsense now. Got my money from retirement."

Stella gave up on her rod. "So does Kaku?"

"Yeah. But Kaku's cash mostly comes from their family."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What's the deal between you two?"

The Frog imitated the gesture. "Excuse me?"

She elaborated. "I can't tell if you're friends, family, or lovers." She put on a snarky grin. "I'm leaning on the third option."

The Monoke's jaw hung open, and his eyes threatened to pop out of his skull. Then, after a few seconds, he burst into laughter. "Aw, kid! You're killing me! Me and that lazy reptile?! What a funny tadpole you are!"

The Human was not convinced, however. "Then why are you living together. Hell, you even share the same room!"

Padda frowned, gazing reflectively at his fishing rod. After a while, he sighs. "We go way back. For me, at least."

That last sentence was odd. "What do you mean?"

He huffed. "I'll get to that later. We met when I was a young lad with a tail that had just disappeared. I started selling my fresh products in the capital in a humble stand. There was when I met one of my most loyal customers."

Stella now paid full attention to his story. "How were they before?"

"About the same, actually. A crusty, old Kappa who always greeted everyone with a sweet smile."

That information made her question if she heard it right. "How old are they?!"

The Frog chuckled. "He's more than five thousand years old, last time I asked! He was already a senior when the war came along, to give ya an idea. Crazy, right?!"

Stella's mouth involuntarily opened wide. "FIVE THOUSAND YEARS!?"

His chuckle escalated. "Right?! Monoke years are a hot mess! Like, Frogs live to a hundred, at most." He recomposed himself after a while. "How about Humans?"

"The same as you, I think," Stella answered. "What happened next?"

"Right. Decades passed, and we kept seeing and talking to each other. They always came in the morning, every day, without fail. It became a part of our routine until..."

"Until...?" Stella was intrigued by the Frog's change in behavior. He seemed confused and upset at the same time. That only stoke the flames of her curiosity.

He sighed. "They didn't come one day. I knew where their house was, so I did the courtesy of bringing their usual order directly, even though I didn't even know if they were interested. Turned out that their age was finally catching up to them."

Stella felt sympathy for the Kappa. "So you took them to live with you? How about their family?"

"They were the ones who talked me into this. Saying that their parent wouldn't shut up about me." He chuckled softly. "So I am taking care of them while their family gives me some money to help with the costs."

Something about that really rubbed Stella the wrong way. That sweet, old Monoke was left behind by their own family. Those cowards! How could they abandon their own like this?!

She bet they saw Kaku as a deadweight, a hindrance, a burden. Her blood boiled at the thought, and her fists clenched, almost snapping the fishing rod in half.

Padda appeared to notice her internal turmoil. "Kiddo, when you live as long as a Kappa, your most vulnerable moments extend for decades, even centuries. Babies, kids, old folk, all need to be nurtured for generations of my kind."

When that didn't succeed in easing her mood, the Frog continued. "Also, their family always visit them every one or two weeks. Until then, I try to keep them occupied for their sake."

That turned a lightbulb on the girl's head. She remembered Padda's disappointment when the Kappa refused to go fishing with him. It all made sense now.

"I didn't realize. I'm so, so sorry." Her anger faded away.

The Frog shrugged. "You didn't know. They need to go outside more and get those fossils they call bones moving. 'Sides, they always have some stories to tell when we're working. Perks of living that long, I suppose."

Stella's mouth subtly morphed into a smirk. "You seem to really care about them."

Padda chuckled, then gazed at the floating hook. "Sure."

As if it was magic, when the Frog watched the bait after a long time, it sunk into the river. Finally, this trip wouldn't be completely pointless!

He reeled in and pulled the rod, grunting with insurmountable effort. "We got a fighter here!"

He stood up and tugged with all his might, but even that was proving fruitless. Stella had to step in and assist the old Monoke. "C'mon, fishy! Get on the damn boat!"

Even with the combined effort of the fishing master and his assistant, they were losing in the never-ending struggle against the Kara River's beast.

"Come on, ya bastard! Come to ol' Padda!"

"What the hell is that thing!?"

They were about to give up until suddenly, there was no more struggle on the other end of the line. The momentum led the fishermen to an unplanned bath.

"Fuck this fish!" That was Stella's first words after grasping at the boat. Thankfully, the amphibious creature was there to help her not drown.

"That's impossible! I got some monsters not too long ago!" The two get back on the vessel safely. "Unless..."

An invisible force made the craft flip multiple times! Stella closed her eyes and held on to the wood so tightly she could feel tiny splinters digging into her skin. A small price to pay.

That ruined any goodwill she had for the day. "Can't even fish here without getting attacked by something! FUCK THIS PLACE!"

Padda didn't appear bothered by the swearing, though it might be the shock by the imperceptible ambush. "Aw, damn it! It's that punk again!"

She cringed at her hopelessly drenched clothes. "Who?!"

An unknown voice chimed from above. "Hey, old Frog! Missed me!?" It sounded like a drunk witch.

Stella quickly lifted her head to see who dared pull this prank on her. The answer was... not surprising at that point.

It was what appeared to be a red lobster with an elongated body like a snake. It didn't have legs, only two arms with pincers at the end of the limbs. An elongated bird-like beak complemented its already hideous face, alongside its completely yellow eyes with an almost invisible black dot for a pupil. The spiky green hair gave a not-needed flair to his appearance.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Ugh. What even is that thing!?"

Padda explained. "An Amikiri. His kind likes to visit here sometimes. Though this one tends to be A PAIN IN MY ASS!" He shouts directly at the undesirable guest.

Its laugh was almost as insufferable as Stúfur's. It sounded like a witch and a parrot screaming at the same time. "Where's your Kappa boyfriend?! Don't tell me they kicked- HEY!"

Stella had thrown their fishing rod at the delinquent. "Watch your fucking mouth, asshole! Or I will force you to!"

He wasn't laughing anymore. He was smirking.

She fucked up.

"You got an ugly friend, Padda. I know how to fix her!"

He then rapidly flew in a perfectly circular motion. Before the Human could ask what he was doing, the boat moved without turning up the motor.

"A thorough wash!"

The Amikiri created a whirlpool, which pushed the vessel to an endless ride! The thrill! The adventure! The urge to hurl whatever remained in her stomach away!

"WHERE'S THE KNIGHT?!" Stella tried to not freak out. She failed miserably.

"He went to do some patrollin' or something!" Padda's straw hat was tragically taken away from its owner. It lived a good life.

"Is there anyone left!?"