[ti]fishing[/ti]LIGHTNING LURE

Cillian has never enjoyed fishing.

It's not for lack of patience; he had the patience of a saint for certain monotonous tasks. It was the ocean. The small, insignificant fishing vessel against the jaws of some great, unknowable beast. The threat of a storm that might capsize that vessel and send him to the abyss.

Cillian was terrified of the ocean.

Finn, though, Finn doesn't have to be scared.

So, finding a small fishing hole in the vast, electrified plains, he settles down with his FISHING ROD and enjoys the calming atmosphere of the storm.

Through the powers of a BETA TESTER, Finn pulls up a debug page on the Magikarp patterns.

"There are a lot more of these than I thought..."

Droplets of water splash against his UI screen like a window pane as KYOGRE fires off a jet of water from below. It seems pleased with itself when it surfaces, that unsettling toothy grin spreading wide. Finn's unbothered.

"Nice job. You're growing up so fast."

He casts his line back into the water, careful to avoid Kyogre's fins.

Finn tosses his line back into the water, leaning back in the grass.

"I wonder if I could fish in the Church."

Kyogre emerges from below the water, its yellow eyes gleaming.

<C H U R C H...>

Finn laughs. "Yeah, I know you're a big fan. They all spoil you over there." Finn included. You couldn't start a cult around something and treat it like any common Magikarp - pun intended. "Would you care if I fished down there?"

Rather than answering him, the mysterious leviathan sinks back beneath the surface.

The hook sinks into the water with a soft plop, chasing the common Magikarp that Finn had just tossed back in. Though it had splashed around and tried to wriggle out of his grip, he'd managed to get a hold of it long enough to drop it into the pond.

Who'd have thought? Me, fishing. You proud of me now, Dad?

He frowns as the thought intrudes upon his peace. He doesn't like to think about his father, especially not when he journeyed into this virtual world to escape his family. It spoils his mood and reminds him that he has a job to do later on in the night, that he can't spend the whole day 'wasting away' in VR as his parents would likely call it. They'd never allowed him TV or video games.

Can't stop me now I've got my own place.

Shivering as if to physically dispel the intrusive thoughts, he leans forward as his line jerks.

Once he can catch his breath and his sides stop hurting from the laughing fit, Finn wipes tears from his eyes and retrieves the rod from where he'd tossed it aside in his frustration. God, who knew this game could be so funny?

"Maybe don't go around repeating that one," he insists. "I don't wanna get banned by Nintendo because I taught a baby whale how to curse."

<W H A L E...?>

"That's you. That's what you are. I think. Closest thing, at least."

With a low, pleased sound, Kyogre once again submerges itself.

Resetting his reel, Finn flicks the line back into the water and watches it sink alongside his legendary. Guess he had to be a more responsible parent.

The simulated sun has started to set, its warm glow fading to a gentler kiss more reminiscent of Ireland's mild climates. Yet he can't enjoy the pink-and-orange sunset tones, for it means he'll soon have to log off and deal with his responsibilities.

Funny. That's what his Mam had always warned him about. TV will rot your brain. You'll waste away in front of it playing games, and there'll be nothing left of you for God.

Well, he'd show her. He doesn't play as often as he'd like; he still goes to the gym on a regular schedule, eats healthy, and does whatever the family ask of him besides. They'd never know he had a mild video game addiction if he didn't tell them.

His line twitches, and his attention refocuses.

Maybe he can get another spawn or two in before he logs off...

"Still there, Levi?"

KYOGRE surfaces from the depths of the pond at the sound of his voice, regarding him with its bright yellow eyes. It doesn't speak, but Finn understands that it's waiting for some kind of interaction.

He flicks his wrist to dismiss it back to its swimming.

"Was just checkin'." It certainly wasn't because he'd been feeling sort of lonely, all of a sudden. "Go on back to your swimmin'. We'll be off soon."

Maybe this Magikarp would be The One.