“Is something on your mind, friend?”
The question pulled Dane from her daze, eyes pushing beyond the horizon. The view from Fisherman’s Bottom left nothing to be desired; unlike other guilds, the ocean breeze and ambience circulated within its open wall. Sounds of birds, tides, and merchants filled the silence. Passing ships and the occasional breaching fish off in the distance. And she always kept looking further.
“Oh, no. I was just thinking.” It was still morning. If she finished up work here, she’d have time to catch a ship to Othard. Would she need to take the airship to Gridania first? It added another day to her plans, but she could prepare for a longer trip this time, and…
“Too much, I reckon. You only just returned from the journey, and it’s already calling you back?” Wawalago sighed, wiping drenched hands on his apron. He was elbow-deep in shipping containers of young gourami. Though they were golden, at this age their scales had yet to shine. “As much as I enjoyed our last trip, I recall it wasn’t as leisurely for you. Barely standing still as long as there were fish to catch."
Dane plopped down on a stool next to the dunesfolk and rolled up her sleeves. Looking down into the water, she began separating the juvenile gourami by sex. Their differences were discrete at this age, but she had spent moons wading the waters of the Azim Steppe and knew them well.
Her dedication was the very reason for this job; a new species would be introduced to collectors once enough generations had spawned, and the raen sat at its peak. She was one of the first to board the ship to Othard, among other guild members, and the rest was history. If one noticed the surge in popularity of certain, vibrant-hued species over the summers, credit belonged to her. Something she took pride in.
“There’s just so much I haven’t done. Have you heard of Prism Lake? There are stories of a massive, thirty-fulm carp that shines brilliantly like a rainbow. No one has yet to see it.” She smiled to herself. Her next grand adventure for a new catch always excited her, especially when no one accomplished such a feat.
“Dane.” He looked at her, arms crossed over his chest. “You’ve done enough for now. Arguably, too much. Everyone sees the work you’ve put in, your notoriety has spread beyond Eorzea at this point. Isn’t it time you reflect on that from, say, the comfort of a vacation?”
She sat, hunched over, watching fry swim between her fingers. She wanted to consider his words, genuinely, but what did a vacation even mean? It was a brand new concept to her.
From the moment she stepped off the airship in Limsa two summers ago, Dane only operated to be productive. To keep moving forward, and never fall back into the despair she experienced her entire childhood. She wanted to make a name for herself, be a main character in the stories adventurers would tell.
“I don’t want to.” She paused. “I don’t know how.”
“Easy fix.” Wawalago held a finger up, an idea coming to mind. He wandered to his desk. “You’re off the books for a moon. No travel. I’ll inform the gate immediately.”
“Wait– no!” Dane rose from the stool, her tail knocking it over in one, agitated, flick. She turned around and sighed, hating the thing for causing more trouble. “...I don’t know what to do.”
“That aquarium of yours needs work, right? How about you focus on that? It’s still work, I reckon, but I don’t think it’s possible for you to sit still for more than a few ticks. Take the ferry to your ward and enjoy the beach.”
There was no use fighting back; he was true to his word and definitely had the influence to keep her off every ship spanning the three city-states. This was all too frustrating. And embarrassing.
“...Fine.” She relented, setting her fallen stool upright, and sat back down.
“But first, I’m finishing today's work."
