Crossing Your Currents

Truce

Erzsebet's legs start to feel a dulling pain as she runs after the fishes that zip around the water. They are slippery, silver things that keep getting slightly out of reach. Her stomach's growls for food and Gilbert's sunburns are reminders to not surrender to the aches and minor inconveniences.

The color of the fishes is beautiful but, as of now, that cursed color is only a reminder of her many failed attempts.

Her hands stop and stay as still as a statue. Both hands curl into crescent shapes that are ready to capture any fish that unluckily slips in the space between her palms. Now, it is time for the part of fishing that takes up the most time: waiting for the fish.

The fluid pressure from the waves rush past her hands and feet. Some strands of hair slip on top of her eyes. She tilts her head ever so slightly to nudge them out of the way to make it easier to see without sacrificing the chance to finally catch their lunch.

The first victim lazily flops near. There is a slight distance between the fish and her hands.

Erzsebet's eyes narrow a bit in deep concentration.

Stay still, little one. We are hungry. I'll kill you quickly if you are good.

It stays still as if it did hear her thoughts. 

In one quick grabbing motion, she catches it.

She becomes a blur of teal when she sprints. The fish struggles in her hands. It makes many awkward, swishy poses rubbing its slippery scales all over but Erzsebet is faster and more determined.

Nothing stands in her way. The uncomfortable, itchy feeling of particles of sand sticking on her wet feet, seemingly endless burning heat from the sun, and strained figurative barrier between her and Gilbert do not hinder her in any way.

Gilbert catches the fish thrown at him with barely any difficulty.

In the blink of an eye, Erzsebet returns with a sharp, cleaned stick. She hands it over to him.

"You can start eating without me. I'll go catch some more!"

She charges at the ocean with her own pointy stick. 

In that moment, Gilbert sees something he hasn't seen in years.

Erzsebet's movements that were masked to be soft and graceful are now rough. Her faintly defined muscles flex from her aggressive and predatory movements. 

THIS is the Erzsebet that beat him up all the time when they were kids.

The makeshift spear in her hand seemed to have ignited this fiery determination in her.

As soon as she swoops in the water, an abrupt splash sound shocks his ears. Water droplets scatter across Erzsebet's body in a haphazard pattern. She grins at the fish's limp, lifeless body that sags down from gravity.

It looks so fun that, before Gilbert knew it, he already stabbed the fish and is running to the water. A mix of jealousy and boredom taunts him to compete against Erzsebet. 

Awesome people should be doing awesome things! He felt pathetic sitting under that small shelter! Being a damsel in distress sucks!

"I will catch two fish before you do! Kesesese!"

He gets playfully punched on the shoulder. Gilbert stumbles around until he regains his balance. Both he and Erzsebet's upper bodies get showered with a light drizzle of water as a consequence. 

Then, they both stop.

The few minutes they stay bent over to catch more fish feel like hours. Anticipation bubbles in their guts. Both are excited to win bragging rights over the other.

Scales teasingly brush past their legs but not near their fingers. The competitive nature of their silence makes each of them hyperaware of everything. Even the sounds of their breathing sounds like loud gusts of wind rushing in a tunnel and out.

Then, they see it.

A fish slips in between them. 

Gilbert stabs it first barely before Erzsebet does. This victory almost made him overjoyed.

Too bad he immediately is put face to face to two fishes panicking while impaled through Erzsebet's stick.

"I win~" she says sweetly contradicting the dark way the light leaves the fishes' eyes.

Gilbert's lips tighten into a tight line. Defeat has always been one of the most disgusting things in the world. 

Erzsebet moves her hand towards Gilbert.

"I want to escape this place as soon as possible and I'm sure that you do too. Let's make a deal. Let's not talk about Roderich so we can get things done faster."

He shakes her hand in one firm tug. Hating Roderich is one of his great joys in life but being alive in the first place is what makes that possible. There are so many things he would like to do in this one lifetime. Dying while he is still this hot and young is so unawesome.

"Good. You can help me build the raft when you feel okay. I know that your sunburns could really hurt."