Seven

Chapter Eight

"So, how exactly are we gonna do this?" I ask upon entering the lake.

"I'll teach you. Just watch, and stay silent; don't make a sound."

"Easy enough," I mutter as I position myself next to Asher's side.

We aren't standing too deep inside the lake; the water only reaches slightly above my ankles. That being said, it's still quite cold, so staying here for long probably isn't the best idea. Hopefully, we will soon discover that Asher's alleged fish-catching skills are bullshit, and go back to the warmth of the dry shore.

Next thing I know though, Asher is squatting dangerously close to the lake's surface, with their left hand resting gently on their knee, and right hand submerged almost up to their elbow; palm facing upwards.

Uh, what on earth are they doing? It's a truly bizarre sight; them just crouching there millimeters above the water level, perfectly still. I feel a great urge to point out their pants might get wet from the proximity to the water, but I don't think they would appreciate me breaking the one rule they set for me.

So I simply stand there, also trying to not move a muscle. Seconds pass, then minutes, and when my patience is about to run out, a lonely fish appears out of nowhere, slowly making its way towards Asher's hand.

It hesitates a few times, but then surprisingly decides to swim right into Asher's palm, as if trying to investigate what this mysterious object is. Unfortunately for it, the mysterious object - Asher's hand - constricts around its body, bringing it above the lake's surface with a triumphal yell.

"Fuck yeah! I told you I can do it! Who is the fool now, huh? Certainly not me!" They continue to howl out sounds of victory, while I stare at them utterly defeated.

I can't believe they actually managed to do that. How snappy do their reflexes have to be? It's insane, and exceedingly annoying too, as now I look like the complete moron here; how dare they?

Back to the fish though; it's still in Asher's hand, no longer squirming so aggressively, life evaporating gradually from its tiny body. Now that I'm looking at it, I realize it's quite small, certainly not big enough for two people, at least one of whom is built like an adult.

"Nah, don't be so enthusiastic about it; I can't help but notice that thing wouldn't be able to feed a mouse, let alone a human."

"Oh,-" They pause their little victory dance. "-that's why you are here. Now that you have seen how it's done, you can catch some fish on your own."

Excuse me? Even someone as high-skilled as me doesn't have reflexes quick enough to do that; I don't think we humans are capable of it. How am I even supposed to lure the fish to me? How did they bait it? Maybe that's why Asher isn't a human- well, they kinda are, but only halfway.

I guess these are the things they were talking about when they mentioned being superior; this is what that other half looks like.

"Seven!" They pull me out of my thoughts. "Can you stop daydreaming at the most random times?"

"I-"

"Whatever, just get to work."

Oh, right, I forgot I'm supposed to catch fish with my bare hands, or in other words, perform literal magic.

"No Asher, you know that's not happening."

"Why not?"

"'Cos I'm not a freaking wizard!" I blare at them irritated. "And it also looked stupid." I add, causing quite a reaction.

"Pff, piss off. You are the one who specializes in looking stupid; your entire fucking existence is centered around incompetency, and making a fool out of yourself, so don't tell me that I look stupid."