beggars can be choosers [social]

"Don't go stark naked, kitty cat." Orion grunted, his eyes closed. His fishing rod was planted in front of him, on the bank, unsupervised. A beer was found on his right hand. A cigarette on his left. Both were actively being consumed by the man. The cigarette inhaled less frequently compared to the almost-finished can of beer.

This whole time, Orion had his eyes closed, just enjoying the quiet afternoon. The man always enjoyed days like this. It was perfect. And the best part was that he had company, which never happened much at all these past couple of months. The world was suffering once again, but it could wait a day.

Fishing, after all, was more important.

"Don't you eat any of the fish I caught. I promised your brother I'd bring some back," Orion muttered under his breath, just soft enough for Topaz to hear. Fishing also meant silence, loud sounds scare fishes away after all. Looking at his companion, he asked, "Did you nod off again?"

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Orion glanced at his fishing partner, "Because I saw you taking your clothes off." Without turning back, he continued, "I'm all about going stark naked, but I prefer my company to be of the opposite sex." The last thing he wanted was a naked cat strutting around him. He was a tolerant person, a patient person, but he really did not want to have to wash his eyes with soap.

"You're a cat. You eat fish." Orion answered dismissively, instead focusing on the few stray fishes still swimming within the proximity of his bait. They were just there, swimming around, not knowing that Orion will be cooking them later once they were caught. And they will be caught.

SPLASH!

Orion watched his guild mate hurl himself quite humorously into the river. It was an interesting sight: a cat bathed in water. "You alright?" the man having given up the pretense of fishing, since most had swam away after the ruckus Topaz had made, "Had too much to drink? Orion took a sip at his own, before putting it on the ground and reaching out to help Topaz out of the water.

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Orion watched Topaz work his magic. It seemed very useful. Heat made everything easy when things get too wet, and for a cat, it was an even better magic to have. The cat-man finally sat down and fished regularly, to which Orion sent a prayer of thanks to the heavens for. He really did not want a repeat of Topaz falling into the water, scaring all of his potential victims away.

"None yet?" Orion raised an eyebrow, before grabbing a small can from his pack, and tossing it over to Topaz. He had packed enough for two. This meant he had packed enough for four people, one share for his companion, a three-person share for himself. "Drink it while it's cold."

The breeze was amazing, the sun was a-blazing, and the fishes were a-swimmin'. It was a purrfect day. Orion chuckled in his head after that thought.

"Topaz, ever wonder why cats dislike water?" Orion asked randomly, "actually, is that even true? Do cats really hate water that much?"

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"Yeah, you're welcome." Orion went back to his own drink, his eyes wandering off to the unknown. He was out of it that he found himself lying on the bank, watching the clouds pass by over them. It was a great day, too great.

The topic of cats and water got him a bit more attentive after Topaz replied. It seemed reasonable, the reason that it. Wet can be fun, especially when it is planned. Unplanned, it can be annoying. Couple that with the propensity of fur to be very uncomfortable when wet, then it's just a recipe for disaster. But, dogs seems to like getting themselves wet. Doesn't seem to mind it that much. So why just cats..." Orion trailed off, "But then, you don't have that much of a problem, fire mage and all that."

Before he knew it, Topaz's line seemed to have a hit. Orion sighed to himself, his own line not seeming to be attracting any potential dinner. "You know, I wish life could just be like this all the time." Orion just watched Topaz with his catch, ready to help if needed, "Peace." He continued, closing his eyes as he breathed in the pollen-filled gust of cool air.

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"But...I love dogs..." Orion blurted out. True, he did love dogs. They were man's best friend, or so it was said. To Orion, dogs symbolized true and unadultered love and loyalty. It was something to be admired, in all honesty. The animal was the first by your side when you cry, and the last to leave you when you need company. He would not mind getting a dog one day.

"I like cats too!" the man forgot for a second who he was talking too, and had to backpedal. Cats were great. Yeah, they were definitely very independent, but they were affectionate as well. "Cats are great...cats are great..." He muttered, still thinking about getting a dog, "What do you think? A dog named Asta? Hm, maybe I should get a pet-"

His thoughts were interrupted when something landed on his head. It was wet, scaly, and flopping around. Orion just kept lying down on the ground, fish still breathing its last on his head of all places, "As much as I like fish, I like them cooked." He commented, "Please get this fish off my face," He was surprisingly calm about it, "And please don't take a bite! Your brother won't be too happy if we return with fish that has chunks bitten off of it." He was sure Topaz was not going to do it, but he had to make sure. That cat was a bit unpredictable.

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Orion felt the fish leave his face slow. It slapped him. Three times. Finally, it was pried off, only to reveal a red-faced Orion trying his best not to make a sound. They were still fishing after all, and any loud sounds would cause the gathered fish to swim away scared. No matter how much he wanted to scream bloody hell, he reigned it in.

"Yes, definitely Asta. I might look into adopting," Orion hummed, wiping his face with his already dirties shirt. The fish stains will take quite a bit to deal with later on, but it'll be alright, since he still had some chemicals left from his last fishing trip. "Unless you know someone who has a cat needing adoption- and no, I won;t take you in no matter how much your brother wants me to." He chuckled softly, shaking his head at his own joke.

"Hm...I just wanted to get away, to be honest. The guild. The missions. The life-threatening dangers lurking outside the village. It gets too much..." Orion trailed off, his face now turned towards the horizon. He felt himself aging, the burden of having to keep going without his mother creeping back up from the depths of his alcohol-filled gut. "Does it ever go away?" the question was more for himself, yet he blurted it out anyways, asking the wind for an answer.

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Orion glanced at the cat, "Small but terrible," he whispered to himself, before continuing louder, "you'll cause too much trouble for me, do you know how much you eat? I'd be broke until I turn ninety if I took you in," Orion chuckled, "your brother can keep you."

There were things Orion were scared of: octopus, ghosts, and pineapples. There were little that Orion found himself terrified of. Yet the world continually pushes the worst of the worst to its inhabitants. Orion has faced stuff that definitely should only exist in fairy tales. Why now? Why does the world throw its most horrible their way now.

"Wizards, strong and weak, young and old, we fight," Orion paused, then continued with a sigh, "we fight for ourselves first and foremost. I've seen it. Heard it. Wizards now look to protect themselves and those closest to their hearts. They fight for selfish reasons." He turned to Topaz, "Is that enough? Is that truly enough for the final stand?"

His pole started to wriggle, and without hesitation, Orion took it in one hand and started reeling in his catch.

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