[Fanfic, 100% OJ] Fishing Trip

Genre: Slice of Life

Length: 2366 words

B/D: This one has a good amount of plot details, since I have to get things moving along a little to introduce some of the other Suguriverse character. In the meantime? Iru joins the battle!

They sit back to back in the salt air, knees curled tight to squash themselves into the tiny boat. The spray, icy even in the summer, is as cutting as glass now that winter has begun to bite. But for all that it is sunny, and the cumulus clouds in the distance are holding steady at the horizon. The sea is calm, and waves sweep across the surface as gently as dust is swept across the plains, with only wisps of foam to say that they were ever there at all.

“Nice day for fishing, huh?” Iru asks. Their shoulder-blades are touching, and Suguri feels the vibration of Iru’s voice pass through her when she speaks. She is slim but her voice is low, almost baritone, in a way that reminds Suguri of rich, dark wood. A warm, comfortable, solid kind of voice, that makes it even more surprising when she shoots you in the face.

Suguri says nothing in reply, and instead fights to keep her rod still. It’s far too long for her tastes, and unwieldy – like that strange, oversized sword they found Sora with. She’s tried to use it a few times herself in practice, but the length and weight make it tough to shift momentum at full speed, and it being two-handed makes it tricky to switch to a rifle at medium range. Even Sora’s regular beam sword is a little heavier than hers, with a higher output than she would be comfortable using. That, she supposes, is the difference between a weapon made to defend people and a weapon meant to kill them.

“Hey. What’s up? Catfish got your tongue?” Iru’s voice again, still warm, still mellow. She knows without looking that Iru’s rod will be perfectly still, held by hands much steadier than her own. “Loosen up. Half the fun of fishing is yapping to the person next to you.”

Her brow furrows. “Even if you say that…” she begins, but leaves the sentence unfinished. It’s awkward, because I didn’t come here to fish. I didn’t even come here to talk. I came for information.

She sighs into the morning light, and watches her breath disperse as haze. Port City is still visible on the horizon. The buildings, with their clean edges and brilliant white paint, draw the dawn’s colour into themselves as if drinking it from the air. Solar panels in brilliant blue wink from every rooftop. It’s perhaps one of the most technologically advanced places on the planet, discounting her own residence; somewhere, nestled deep within the beating heart of that city, is the peacekeeping organisation that Iru works for. Their logo, a set of strange characters emblazoned over a planet, is stitched on the breast of Iru’s jacket, and Suguri wonders whether it was the cold or some other purpose that informed her fashion decisions.

Iru shifts her weight in the tiny boat, putting her feet up on the gunwales and leaning into the small of Suguri’s back. “Hey, I got a question for ya.”

“Mm?”

“How many times a year do you think I go fishing?”

Suguri frowns. It’s a strange question to ask out of the blue, but she can at least hazard a guess. She looks backwards at Iru, who has set down her rod and rolled up her sleeves. She doesn’t have the tanned, muscular forearms of a fisherman. Or, come to think of it, a particularly large selection of baits and tackles. In fact, wasn’t there a rental store near the docks with these very rods proudly displayed in the windows? It’s a strange time of year for a fishing trip, too; only cod in the water, and probably too deep for such a small boat and such basic equipment.

“Never?”

“Bullseye,” Iru says, and it sounds easy and practised. Rehearsed. “I’ve never been fishing before. I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at lake fishing or something, but sea fishing is a little much. Hey, speaking of, there’s a box of seasickness tabs in the bait box, under the little… uh, gummy-worm lookin’ things. Could you pass ’em over?”

“You get seasick?”

“A little. Not enough that I yak, but it weirds me out when I can’t get a stable position.”

A silence settles over the boat as Iru downs a few tablets with a hit of water from a flask. Suguri sets down her rod – gently, because she’s now absolutely sure it’s a rental – and turns to face her companion. For all her calm demeanour, Iru’s face is a little pale and drawn, and her hair a little messy. There are goosebumps trickling across her forearms where she’s rolled up the sleeves of her jacket.

“So, uh. Sorry for all the rigmarole. I’m not really into this cloak and dagger thing, so I wanted to cut it short. Basically, you’ve been asking around some stuff, yeah? Security stuff, I mean.”

“You could say that,” Suguri murmurs.

“Well. It puts us in an awkward position. Y’see, we have some information we’d quite like you to have, because you’re a known quantity, right? But officially, we can’t give it to you, because you’re not affiliated with us. And on the other hand, there’s a couple questions we wanna ask you.”

She nods her head, slowly. “I see. Hard to know what gets said between two friends on a fishing trip, out in the ocean.”

Iru flips over and grins. “You got it. No espionage here. Just two good friends, sharing a boat and talking about whatever they feel like,” she says, and then, in a stage whisper: “I’m sure glad it’s you I’m talking with. I could imagine this going wrong with somebody less reasonable.” She clears her throat, and her voice falls back to its normal volume. “So, how’s life been treating you? Heard you got a new lodger a while back. Girl with long blonde hair, right?”

Suguri fights the urge to roll her eyes; she’d rather not carry on with the coded conversation conceit. But there’s a certain playfulness to Iru’s voice, tempered with caution, so she decides to play along.

“She’s more of a family member,” Suguri says, emphasising the last two words. “She used to be a soldier, but she’s retired now. She can still handle herself.” Translation: She’s harmless, but if you come after her, you’re going to regret it.

“Ohh. Sounds like a real tough customer. It’s great that you’re so close. Between you, Hime, and this girl, you must have the safest house in the world. Is there anything that could even worry you, security-wise?” Iru asks. It’s a hook, blatantly designed to draw out a question, and Suguri is happy to take it.

“Well. There’s an organisation I’m keeping tabs on. They look kind of shady.”

“Those Pandora creeps, right? Yeah, somebody in our office worries about them, too. Aren’t they on offshoot from that Regressionist political party, the Sons of the Earth? Must have some friends in high government to get the kind of kit those guys are running around with. Oh, hey. Speaking of kit, how’s that blue-haired girl you hang around with? I’ve heard she’s a tech investor. Prosthetics or something.”

Suguri’s eyes narrow. Of course the Regressionists would be part of it. Regressionism was the belief – very popular after the Great War, and enjoying a brief resurgence after Suguri’s own Little War showcased the deadliness of robots – that humanity’s reliance on technology had impacted their ability to act morally, and that only by forsaking new technology and living closer to nature could mankind atone for the sins it had committed. It wasn’t a belief that particularly impressed her; she was of the opinion that saying technology had corrupted man was a little like somebody smashing a window and then blaming the hammer – a pretty way to avoid responsibility, and not more than that.

To be absolutely fair, she is biased. As an altered human, she is a symbol of humanity’s harmony with technology, a reminder of what they could achieve – what they could be – if they had the wisdom to be trusted with it. That fact brought her into conflict with Regressionist factions more than a few times across the ages, some of which she had been able to resolve peacefully, and others not so much. She did accept that without technology, mankind would never have been able to do quite the damage it had to itself and the world at large, but her counterpoint was that without the advanced technology made by her father, much of the world would still be in ruins. Relying on older, less efficient technology instead of innovating was also likely to do more damage overall than moving to cleaner models.

“Sorry. I was thinking,” she says, when she realises that Iru is still waiting for an answer. “Yes. She’s fine. Another old soldier, although I haven’t personally seen her fight. We’re very fond of her.”

“I can imagine. Well, from what we’ve been able to see, she’s the type to keep herself to herself. I heard she had some real adventures in the past, though. Those Pandora guys seem pretty interested in that,” Iru says, and her eyes are very meaningful. “Keep an eye out for her.”

Suguri nods slowly, and touches the laser sword at her hip. “Got it.”

A few moments of silence, cradled by the waves. She wonders if the exchange is over; if so, then she can’t complain. It’s been fruitful, and she has enough information to dig a little further. As well as a warning to relay to Nath. A good day’s work.

“Oh, I did have another question for you. How’re you and Hime getting along?” Iru asks. There is a quiet little smirk playing on her lips.

“…I don’t get the code. What’s the real question?”

The green-haired girl holds her hand up, shakes her head. “Nah, nah. No code. I’m just curious. Hime is… well, for all the people who were aboard that spaceship, Hime’s our big sis.”

Suguri thrusts her hands into the pockets of her coat. “We get along fine.”

“So I’ve heard.” The tone is alluring, almost taunting. Against her better instincts, Suguri bites.

“You’ve heard?”

“Yeah. I got a call from Nanako the other day. She said you all went to the beach, and Hime spent all day flirting with you.”

Suguri groans, but beneath her irritation from being gossiped about there are fond memories floating to the surface – a long, easy, blissful day. The sand, and the waves, and voices of friends. Hime, with her dreamy voice, opening her heart beneath the sun, talking to her so intimately and openly. Hime’s hands, drifting across her back, and her shoulders, and down to her hips, so gentle, so natural. They haven’t spoken to each other – or touched each other – quite like that ever since. She feels almost guilty about how much she enjoys those memories.

But, she wonders, is it really wrong to want to feel that again? Or, perhaps, to want just a little bit more? She’s been alone for so long. So very, very long.

“So? Are you… y’know, interested?” Iru asks. Despite the loaded question, her expression is still calmly interested.

“…That’s classified information.”

Iru chuckles. “Ha ha. Don’t worry. It’s just between us. Who knows what two friends on a boat trip talk about, right?”

“Mm.”

“I don’t think anybody has a problem with it, so long as you treat her right. Does she still flirt with you?”

“From time to time.” Suguri chews her thumbnail.

“You ever tried flirting back?”

For a moment, she doesn’t bother to respond. But something in Iru’s deep, calm voice draws her out. “I…invited her out to a restaurant, recently. As a… I guess it was a date. I think I meant it as a date.”

“How’d it go?”

“Terrible,” Suguri replies flatly, and her brow furrows at the memory. “We got to the restaurant and it was on fire. We ended up playing disaster relief. Hime kept joking that she wished she’d bought some marshmallows to roast… She was doing that thing where she’s disappointed, but she doesn’t want to say because you’re having a bad time too.”

“Ouch,” Iru says, wincing in sympathy. “Was it a nice place?”

“Black tie, candlelit dinner. That kind of place.”

“Dang. She’d probably have loved it. But I’m sure she appreciated the attempt, right? Maybe try again, with a restaurant that’s not on fire. And, uh… Y’know. I kinda meant it when I asked if you’d tried flirting back. If you don’t let her know you’re interested from time to time, she won’t make any moves either. Give and take, right?”

Suguri sighs. It’s good advice, but harder to put into practice. ‘Give and take’ isn’t quite right for what she’s feeling, but it’s close enough to work with for the moment. “Alright. Sorry, but I think I’m done talking about this now.” She pauses. “Don’t tell anybody what I said here.”

“What happens on the boat, stays on the boat. Scout’s honour,” Iru says, picking her rod back up. “Say, you wouldn’t have any advice for this fishing thing, would ya? I don’t wanna come all the way out and not catch anything.”

Suguri says nothing, and when Iru turns to look she has already launched herself from the gunwales and disappeared into the glassy water with barely a splash. Iru counts out the seconds, one, two, three, before Suguri’s head breaks the surface on the other side of the boat. In her hands is a very confused cod, wriggling for dear life. After she’s sure Iru has seen it, she tosses it back into the water and climbs back into the boat, shaking her wet hair like a dog.

“The trick is not to bother with the rod.”

“I guess. Isn’t it… uh… kinda cold?”

“Yes. If we’re done fishing, let’s go for hot chocolate. You can write it off as an expense.”

Iru chuckles. “Oh, I can, can I?”

“Applied creatively, accountancy is a very powerful force,” Suguri replies, sagely. As Iru swings the boat around, Suguri finds her mind wandering to Hime – and what to buy her for a souvenir.  

A/N: Yup, it's Iru all right -- one of those characters with next to nothing to go on when it comes to figuring out what she's like. In my head, she's this calm, pretty reliable kind of girl who balances out some of the more excitable members of the Suguri boss squad. This was a story I started and finished relatively quickly, which is good since it's still of a decent-ish length.

A word on my 'plotting': I'm very much a bread-crumbs kind of guy. Rather than give big lumps of plot all at once, I prefer to scatter a few meaningful details between stories and then develop them later. This is one of the biggest plot lumps thus far, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I needed to get it out of the way so I could focus on goofing around more.