DoA Careers: Trapper 1 | Tatlitli, (Laverito)

Laverito had brought her the wisp, in his usual bumbling way. The distinctive blue coloration and trailing aura were dead giveaways. Which led neatly to the question: were wisps alive? Tatlitli was uncertain. If the ghostly turtle needed to eat, she hadn't seen them do so, but they did occasionally disappear for brief but noticeable stretches of time.

 

Much like Laverito, actually. The strange land-hopper was now clinging to one of Tatlitli's horns, tiny not-fins curled around the very end, like confused anemones. Laverito tried to keep the rest of his weird little body from knocking against Tatlitli's head, as the aqrion propelled them through the kelp forest. Sunbeams pierced the water, dulled by the impact to a pleasant glow. Rocky outcroppings rose and fell, carving narrow gaps through the green stalks. Tatlitli tried to avoid scraping Laverito off on the ragged leaves, but not very hard.

 

"In your own words, the turtle was an accident," Tatlitli pointed out.

 

"Well, yes, but it was a happy accident. You benefited from it, apparently, since the ghost flapper is still hanging around."

 

"I have named them Turtli."

 

"Wha- really?! Fine, okay, see? You've formed an unbreakable bond with a beloved companion, and I was the cause of that. I did that for you! So you owe me." A kelp leaf scraped over Laverito's tiny form, and the land-hopper had to take a moment to reach back with one not-fin and rub the long growths on his head, which were also not-fins. "Blasted water. Cold, filthy, slimy, stupid ocean. Stupid money underneath it. Ugh. My poor ears, my poor wet, slimy ears..."

 

Ears. What an odd term. And Laverito had similar odd terms for each of his various not-fins. The sheer oddity that saturated the land-hopper was just enough to shift Laverito's rude impudence from appalling to amusing. Tatlitli could rarely predict what the creature would do next, or what he would want her to do next. 

 

Turtli swam ahead, long fins tracing glowing patterns in the water. Turtli didn't speak, but the look thrown over the curve of their wide shell certainly seemed amused.

 

"And in exchange for your generous act of fleeing, screaming in terror, from a ghost-"

 

"I wasn't terrified," Laverito muttered. "I-I exclaimed. In surprise. Because it was surprising. Perfectly reasonable when faced with a ghost of unknown capacity for maiming hares."

 

"-you demand that I fish for you."

 

Laverito deflated, gradually at first, then all at once when Turtli dropped back to hover over his shoulder. Clinging to Tatlitli's horn, with the aqrion's great head on one side and the eerie turtle wisp on the other, his bravado bubbled away like the seawater next to a volcanic vent. "W-well, I wouldn't... wouldn't really phrase it that way, aheh. Not a demand, not - not at all. Just a, a - an opportunity? Since I did something nice for you, now you do something nice for me, and we're even. Splendid, really."

 

Tatlitli cut off the nervous rambling with a decisive, "Of course."

 

"...really?" Laverito squeaked.

 

"We've arrived," Tatlitli informed him. "There are enough fish here to fill that little net of yours."

 

"...I don't see any fish."

 

Tatlitli looked to Turtli. Without need for words - Tatlitli wasn't entirely sure the wisp understood them, or needed words at all - Turtli swam forwards, passing through the kelp as easily as... well, a ghost. The dim blue glow glinted on the leaves and stalks, near enough to be visible to Tatlitli and her unusual barnacle, far enough to appear to be alone.

 

And not a moment passed before a fish swam up to investigate the light. Then another. 

 

"Those are some... really ugly fish," Laverito commented.

 

"Kelp-nibblers," said Tatlitli. "Messy eaters, who chew on the edges of kelp leaves and leave ragged edges behind. They avoid water that's too cold. Your sun is up now, so this is the lowest they'll swim. That much easier to catch when they'll always try to escape upwards."

 

"Oh," said Laverito. He sounded rather dumbfounded, which was typical. He had lost a companion of his own, one not quite as intelligent as Tatlitli. He'd grown quite accustomed to that companion, and it showed in the way he never expected Tatlitli to strategize, rationalize, or remain calm in the face of being mildly inconvenienced. 

 

But being underestimated suited Tatlitli just fine.

 

"How do we catch them? I'm... probably not fast enough," Laverito admitted, sounding pained.

 

Tatlitli turned her head as if to graze on some kelp. The fish-nibbled leaves were just wide enough to obscure her fearsome teeth, but the same could not be said for her angler bulb. Again without need for words, Turtli began to meander closer, and closer, until a few of the fish stopped curiously circling the blue glowing thing and came over to investigate this new and equally fascinating orange glowing thing. 

 

Laverito settled against the side of Tatlitli's head, wisely staying as still as possible. Turtli gracefully descended in a slow circle, until the wisp was beneath Tatlitli's broad chin. The cloud of fish chasing the glowing lights remained blissfully unaware that Tatlitli was not a large, unusually pale-blotched rock.

 

Until Tatlitli moved.

 

One coordinated lashing of limbs, and Tatlitli surged forwards, jaws gaping wide to catch as many fish as possible in a single surprise strike. Laverito yelped as he popped off her horn and was left behind to flail and curse. Turtli bumped against Tatlitli's throat as the aqrion surged past.

 

Those fish lucky enough to escape the jaws of death wasted no time in scattering, darting upwards through the towering strands of kelp and vanishing. But the unlucky ones, well. Tatlitli shook her head so furiously that she almost made herself dizzy, and then spat the fish out. They drifted limply, bewildered and stunned.

 

"There you are," she told Laverito. "Collect your fill before they recover."

 

Laverito fought against the kelp, attaining his freedom only with much struggling and even more cursing. Turtli swooped in a slow spiral around the hapless land-hopper, and yes, that was definitely an amused expression. 

 

At last freed of the kelp, Laverito shivered all over, scraped off his ears again, and only then took notice of the bounty Tatlitli had prepared for him. For a moment he was plainly awed at Tatlitli's work.

 

But he was a greedy creature above all, and quickly set to stuffing his little net full of fish.